Chicago is in a state of emergency. It has been reported that 113 people have been killed in Chicago this year. The same number of U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan during the same time period. –Huffington Post, Rev. Jesse Jackson
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Man, Chicago has always been bad, but when it gets to the point where folks are asking for some cavalry to come in and put a check on this stuff, I take notice. This is also a political move to bring more attention to the problem, and it seems to be the latest tactic with lawmakers and governors in a few other states in the US. But the numbers speak for themselves in this case, as the quote up top has clearly identified. –Matt
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Chicago Lawmakers: Call In the National Guard
April 26, 2010
Two lawmakers who believe violence has become so rampant in Chicago that the Illinois National Guard must be called in to help made a public plea to Gov. Pat Quinn to deploy troops.
CHICAGO — Two lawmakers who believe violence has become so rampant in Chicago that the Illinois National Guard must be called in to help made a public plea to Gov. Pat Quinn on Sunday to deploy troops.
A recent surge in violent crime, including a night last week that saw seven people killed and 18 wounded — mostly by gunfire — prompted the request from Chicago Democratic Reps. John Fritchey and LaShawn Ford. They were joined by Willie Williams, whose son was shot and killed in 2006.
Chicago has had 113 homicide victims so far this year, Fritchey said.
“As we speak, National Guard members are working side-by-side with our troops to fight a war halfway around the world,” he said during a news conference in downtown Chicago. “The unfortunate reality is that we have another war that is just as deadly that is taking place right in our backyard.”
Fritchey said later that the proposal wasn’t a “no confidence” vote toward police.
“I think the police have done a commendable job in fighting this surge in violence, but I also think they could use some well-trained help,” he said. “The reality is that (police) department resources are stretched thin.”
A message left for Quinn wasn’t returned Sunday.
Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis said he didn’t think the National Guard was the best answer, noting that police focus on civilian law enforcement.
“I appreciate their frustration and their willingness to help,” he said after Fritchey and Ford’s news conference. “But I am simply not sure the National Guard is the answer to our problems — at least in terms of mass deployment. I’m frankly not sure what their mission would be.”
Weis said most of the violent crime has been focused in areas that represent only 9 percent of the city. Last week, he said the department was improving its gang intelligence, developing new computer programs and creating a mobile strike force of about 100 officers to try to quell the violence, which has been largely confined to the city’s south and west sides.
Fritchey said guard members have been trained in civil law enforcement as part of their nation-building assignments in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Deploying the guard also would make economic sense, considering the near-crisis in state finances, he said.
“We don’t have the dollars to hire additional officers, but in the National Guard we have men and women on hand who are trained to deal with these situations,” he said.
Weis questioned how much training military personnel get in civilian law enforcement.
“I spent six years in the Army, and I never got any course on how or why to obtain a search warrant,” Weis said. “That simply isn’t part of the military mission, but it’s something our officers have to deal with every day.”
But he said he could he see a possible limited role for the National Guard in specialized fields, such as intelligence analysis and helicopter support.
In July 2008, after a similar surge in street crime, then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich suggested using the National Guard, but quickly backtracked, suggesting instead that bringing in Illinois State Police could help the Chicago’s officers. Mayor Richard M. Daley and other city officials rejected the idea as poorly conceived, particularly in light of the state’s fiscal difficulties.
Story here.
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National Guard troops could be deployed to reduce violence in Chicago
Apr 27, 2010
CHICAGO (WKOW) — While some Illinois lawmakers want National Guard troops deployed to help reduce violence on Chicago’s streets, Chicago’s mayor and the city’s top law enforcement officials are not embracing the idea.
There have been at least 113 homicides in Chicago this year. But crime statistics show the number of murders isn’t worse than previous years.
Last week, a Madison man confessed to killing four people in a shooting spree in Chicago.
Officials say James Larry, 32, of Madison told police he shot his wife and even month old son in a Chicago home and also two of his nieces. Larry’s wife and one nice were pregnant. His mother and 13-year-old nephew were shot and severely hurt. Larry is charged with four counts of first degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Story here.
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by Austin Bay
April 27, 2010
Call out the National Guard to stop urban gangs?
Two Illinois state representatives, John Fritchey and LaShawn Ford (both Democrats), want Land of Lincoln Guardsmen in the streets of Chicago.
Fritchey’s molten rhetoric provides the sketch: “As we speak, National Guard members are working side-by-side with our troops to fight a war halfway around the world. … We have another war that is just as deadly taking place right in our backyard.”
Fritchey’s first glitch is rather revealing: National Guard servicemen and women are troops, and definitely our troops — a reserve of trained soldiers able to fight in their own units or augment U.S. regular forces. His second glitch, conflating Afghan combat with Chicago street crime, exceeds political hyperbole and enters the realm of blockheaded ignorance.
A National Guard squad rolling into an inner-city Chicago neighborhood can establish “presence” — and presence can serve a deterrent function. A policeman on a beat establishes presence. Here’s the concept: When the cop drives by or stands on the corner, rational thugs scatter and look for easier targets.
However, unlike experienced street policemen who know neighborhoods and are trained to defuse conflicts and arrest criminals, 20-year-old riflemen –whether National Guard or Regular Army — are trained to shoot to kill. Military Police (MPs) are a hybrid, but MPs are also first and foremost combat soldiers.
Consider these questions and the operational issues they raise: What will be the rules regarding use of force guiding these young American soldiers as they patrol your city? Do you intend to provide the soldiers with ammunition? In domestic situations, the Guard has deployed soldiers without ammunition, to avoid the use of lethal force, though this is increasingly rare post-9-11 (besides, soldiers without ammo can be robbed of their military equipment by gang members). Or do you intend to really lock down the city and declare martial law (since we hear rumors that some gangs have assault rifles)?
Will there be special vehicle and pedestrian checkpoint procedures, or in the name of fairness and to pre-empt charges of profiling, will the Guard be expected to stop and inspect every person and every vehicle entering threatened neighborhoods? Do you intend to give the soldiers crash courses in arrest procedures, or the gathering and protection of evidence?
And back to the gangs: Have you thought at all about how local gangs might react? The presence of armed soldiers may inhibit some crimes, but up-and-coming gang leaders seeking macho street cred may see soldiers as enticing targets guaranteeing big headlines. Unlike the Chicago cops, the Guard won’t be around forever — unless Fritchy and Ford want a permanent garrison force.
Guard units are trained to handle a range of assignments. Supporting and augmenting local police forces in crises like natural disasters or riots are Guard missions.
Do Chicago police face a crisis of violence, or is this a case of rhetorical overreach and grandstanding?
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, local activist Tio Hardiman sees real problems, but he doesn’t see a crisis. Hardiman runs a fascinating political outfit named CeaseFire Illinois, which “brokers truces” in gang-plagued neighborhoods.
“Every year we struggle with March and April. There’s a spike (in violence) when the first hot days come,” Hardiman told the paper. He also noted violence in Chicago has dropped over the last couple of decades and added, “Right now, what is lacking in the city is that people involved in violence prevention need to collaborate better.”
His comment suggests the problem is ineffective local leadership, especially in the districts experiencing a spike in violent crime. In this light, calling for the National Guard is a request for state intervention. A cynic might conclude it’s a way to get state taxpayers to foot Chicago’s police bill.
Story here.