A West Side Democrat says Mayor Rahm Emanuel should work more closely with President Donald Trump to bring resources to Chicago to combat the gun violence epidemic — declaring that the city isn’t a “Trump-free zone.”
Appearing on Fox & Friends on Monday morning, state Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, said Emanuel should work with Trump to help the communities most affected by violence. Weekend shootings left 12 dead and 59 others wounded and brought Chicago once again in the national spotlight for gun violence.
Much of the violence happened in the West Side in Ford’s 8th House District. Ford told the Sun-Times three people were shot, one fatally, just steps from his church at 7 a.m.: “That’s unbelievable,” he said.
The lawmaker took to Republican friendly airwaves to push the mayor to work with the Republican president, despite Emanuel’s longstanding legal and political battle against Trump. Emanuel’s feud against Trump in a Democratic city is considered a no-risk battle to try to rebuild the mayor’s national image and his popularity among Chicago Hispanics most threatened by Trump’s immigration policies, and by the president’s threat to cut off funding to sanctuary cities.
“It is clear that the Chicago police department is not trusted with the mass genocide that’s happening on the streets of Chicago,” Ford said. “You can’t get the cooperation with the citizens in the community to help solve the crimes. Chicago right now, has more unsolved crimes than they do solved crimes. And so what we have to do is make sure that there is some trust between the Chicago police and the community and that’s not happening.”
Ford urged law enforcement to respect the people living within the affected communities and said President Donald Trump needs to step in and help.
“You have to be fair. You have to be honest. And you have to make sure that you’re respecting the people that you patrol,” Ford continued.
He lost me here. There is a place for hyperbole, but Chicago’s murder and armed violence problem is bad enough without resorting to this. In no way does what is happening in Chicago approach the definition of genocide.
But I suppose if you’re trying to get President Trump’s attention, gross exaggeration can’t hurt.
i live in a part of Chicago where the police helicopters fly over my house nightly and not hearing sirens is not the norm. This weekend was horrific. We have to have a holistic approach to solving this epidemic, i don’t think this is a solution but if it forces the conversation-I’m down with it. Clearly from the Trace graphic-it’s more than a Chicago problem.
“And so what we have to do is make sure that there is some trust between the Chicago police and the community and that’s not happening.”
When I lived in Humbolt Park, I had heard many stories about gang members infiltrating the police force. I don’t know if the stories are true, but if people believe this is true, it’s going to have a chilling effect on trust.
NYC, LA, and Houston are NOT on that graph. It means it’s possible in a very big city to do better. And we should. Everyone should be invited to help in the solution. The homicides are so concentrated, it’s far worse than it appears for those communities. Rep. Ford’s is one of them. Kudos to him for speaking out. It reflects badly on our whole region and state. It’s fixable. We need to fix it.
Guns aren’t any harder to get in the cities that aren’t on the list. There is no “free flow” of guns into Chicago that makes it more unique than any other big city. Lefty cities like LA and San Fran don’t make the list. Righty cities like Houston and Dallas don’t make it either.
==“You have to be fair. You have to be honest. And you have to make sure that you’re respecting the people that you patrol,” Ford continued.==
Fair and honest. Well that leaves a the President, the Governor and the Mayor out of the discussion.
- Veil of Ignorance - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 4:36 pm:
I have had nothing but positive interactions with Rep. Ford in the past, but is he talking about the same president that has white nationalists on the pay roll and uses anti-black political tactics to gin up his base? I’m at a loss as to what Trump would do or be willing to do that would actually improve the situation.
Ford is right to say the police aren’t trusted, and I don’t blame people in the community for not trusting them. But I also don’t think average people in Chicago are going to trust a law enforcement intervention by the Trump administration either. I don’t think Trump has the competence to (or any interest in) actually helping people affected by violence in Chicago.
“Ford urged law enforcement to respect the people living within the affected communities and said President Donald Trump needs to step in and help.”
Rep. Ford will always have my respect for calling out Brandon Phelps in open floor debate about Duty to Inform in the NRA concealed carry bill in spring 2013, before the bill passed. While former NRA lobbyist Todd Vandermyde and Phelps were sneaking around trying to hide the DTI deal from NRA & ISRA members, Ford and some of the other house Black Caucus Reps. like Chris Welch and Will Davis stepped up to the plate big time on that issue. As a former ISRA & NRA member, Ford is a hero from where I stand. He walked the walk while Vandermyde and Phelps set us up to be killed like Philando Castile in Minnesota.
So what if Ford humbles himself to ask for help from the federal government, no matter who is in the White House? Federal prosecution of convicted felons in possession of a firearm is the best way to take repeat offenders off the streets, but most of these gun cases are prosecuted at the county level due to lack of fed resources.
Things a president can do- a)interdict interstate arms sales- not gonna happen. b)Federalize the Illinois National Guard- not gonna happen. If it does, it will be a disaster of epic proportion.
Trump’s staff will have to give him a cheat sheet on how to properly respond to the violence and its effect on families. He has the empathy of a great white shark.
I would round up all of the gang members in Chicago, and ship them off to the military. Put different gangs in different branches of the military. Since they want to shoot people, send them to the war-zone.
I think we need good jobs to combat the youth violence. High-Tech, communications, wireless, agro & robotics jobs geared towards fixing up the country’s infrastructure, economy & ecology.
- Amalia - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 3:10 pm:
Think Trump will help by stopping the free flow of guns? Nope.
- 47th Ward - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 3:23 pm:
===mass genocide===
He lost me here. There is a place for hyperbole, but Chicago’s murder and armed violence problem is bad enough without resorting to this. In no way does what is happening in Chicago approach the definition of genocide.
But I suppose if you’re trying to get President Trump’s attention, gross exaggeration can’t hurt.
- mark - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 3:30 pm:
i live in a part of Chicago where the police helicopters fly over my house nightly and not hearing sirens is not the norm. This weekend was horrific. We have to have a holistic approach to solving this epidemic, i don’t think this is a solution but if it forces the conversation-I’m down with it. Clearly from the Trace graphic-it’s more than a Chicago problem.
- 17% Solution - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 3:40 pm:
“And so what we have to do is make sure that there is some trust between the Chicago police and the community and that’s not happening.”
When I lived in Humbolt Park, I had heard many stories about gang members infiltrating the police force. I don’t know if the stories are true, but if people believe this is true, it’s going to have a chilling effect on trust.
- I Miss Bentohs - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 3:47 pm:
I am surprised how many cities are in the Midwest.
(And our xenophobic president is surprised by how few are in the Southwest.)
- A guy - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 3:49 pm:
NYC, LA, and Houston are NOT on that graph. It means it’s possible in a very big city to do better. And we should. Everyone should be invited to help in the solution. The homicides are so concentrated, it’s far worse than it appears for those communities. Rep. Ford’s is one of them. Kudos to him for speaking out. It reflects badly on our whole region and state. It’s fixable. We need to fix it.
- Precinct Captain - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 4:04 pm:
If Ford thinks DJT gives a rats behind about the people of Chicago, he’s dead wrong.
- California Guy - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 4:15 pm:
Guns aren’t any harder to get in the cities that aren’t on the list. There is no “free flow” of guns into Chicago that makes it more unique than any other big city. Lefty cities like LA and San Fran don’t make the list. Righty cities like Houston and Dallas don’t make it either.
- City Zen - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 4:24 pm:
==NYC, LA, and Houston are NOT on that graph.==
Exactly. Chicago isn’t competing with Newark and Memphis. Only Philly and DC are the true comps on that list.
There are only two things separating Chicago from the leaders on that list: Chad and Trixie.
- don the legend - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 4:31 pm:
==“You have to be fair. You have to be honest. And you have to make sure that you’re respecting the people that you patrol,” Ford continued.==
Fair and honest. Well that leaves a the President, the Governor and the Mayor out of the discussion.
- Veil of Ignorance - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 4:36 pm:
I have had nothing but positive interactions with Rep. Ford in the past, but is he talking about the same president that has white nationalists on the pay roll and uses anti-black political tactics to gin up his base? I’m at a loss as to what Trump would do or be willing to do that would actually improve the situation.
- Actual Red - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 4:36 pm:
Ford is right to say the police aren’t trusted, and I don’t blame people in the community for not trusting them. But I also don’t think average people in Chicago are going to trust a law enforcement intervention by the Trump administration either. I don’t think Trump has the competence to (or any interest in) actually helping people affected by violence in Chicago.
- Sue - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 4:52 pm:
Think Rahm’s telephone number goes straight to voice mail
- TKMH - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 5:04 pm:
==When I lived in Humbolt Park, I had heard many stories about gang members infiltrating the police force.==
You’re thinking of the plot for the movie “The Departed.”
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 5:10 pm:
I’m tired of seeing dead children. Trump, Emanuel, Madigan, Rauner - I don’t care - stop the politics, you’re killing people.
- California Guy - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 5:25 pm:
-VanillaMan-
What are these guys actually doing (or not doing) that’s killing people?
- blue dog dem - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 5:41 pm:
Emmannual on Colbert show. “Chicago is now a Trump-free zone.” In the New Yorker, “bashhing Trump is good politics.”
I would love to tap into that phone conversation where Rham asks Donald nicely for help.
- blue dog dem - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 5:47 pm:
Somehohow Rahm keeps coming up Rham. Sorry.
- blue dog dem - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 5:48 pm:
California guy. What they are doing is nothing. Democrats haven’t helped. Republicans haven’t helped.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 5:50 pm:
“Ford urged law enforcement to respect the people living within the affected communities and said President Donald Trump needs to step in and help.”
Rep. Ford will always have my respect for calling out Brandon Phelps in open floor debate about Duty to Inform in the NRA concealed carry bill in spring 2013, before the bill passed. While former NRA lobbyist Todd Vandermyde and Phelps were sneaking around trying to hide the DTI deal from NRA & ISRA members, Ford and some of the other house Black Caucus Reps. like Chris Welch and Will Davis stepped up to the plate big time on that issue. As a former ISRA & NRA member, Ford is a hero from where I stand. He walked the walk while Vandermyde and Phelps set us up to be killed like Philando Castile in Minnesota.
So what if Ford humbles himself to ask for help from the federal government, no matter who is in the White House? Federal prosecution of convicted felons in possession of a firearm is the best way to take repeat offenders off the streets, but most of these gun cases are prosecuted at the county level due to lack of fed resources.
- West Sider - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 5:53 pm:
Things a president can do- a)interdict interstate arms sales- not gonna happen. b)Federalize the Illinois National Guard- not gonna happen. If it does, it will be a disaster of epic proportion.
- Wensicia - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 6:36 pm:
Trump’s staff will have to give him a cheat sheet on how to properly respond to the violence and its effect on families. He has the empathy of a great white shark.
- Mama - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 8:50 pm:
I would round up all of the gang members in Chicago, and ship them off to the military. Put different gangs in different branches of the military. Since they want to shoot people, send them to the war-zone.
- Mama - Tuesday, Aug 7, 18 @ 8:54 pm:
Trump could ask his buddy Putin on how to handle gangs and crimes.
- faxman - Wednesday, Aug 8, 18 @ 4:47 am:
I think we need good jobs to combat the youth violence. High-Tech, communications, wireless, agro & robotics jobs geared towards fixing up the country’s infrastructure, economy & ecology.
- Cheryl44 - Friday, Aug 10, 18 @ 12:05 pm:
Trump wants Chicago to fail. That it’s black people dying is a bonus for him and his base.