Rahm Emanuel Announces Run for Chicago Mayor, War on Gang Members

By Jeralyn, Section Elections
Posted on Sun Oct 03, 2010 at 08:39:12 PM EST
Tags: Rahm Emanuel (all tags)

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Rahm Emanuel made it official today. He's running for Mayor of Chicago. His website is up and running. His first action after setting up his FB page and website: embarking on "listening tour" across Chicago.

Who are among Rahm's first intended victims?

To be the city we want to be, we can't have gangbangers taking the lives of our schoolchildren.

Gang leaders don't target children, nor do they condone their killing, according to Tio Hardiman, director of CeaseFire Illinois, which works to prevent neighborhood violence. He probably knows a lot more about the subject than Rahm.

I'd like to hear Rahm promise some innovative juvenile justice programs and programs designed to assist at-risk kids in finding alternatives to gangs. Instead, he's promising more of a crackdown, which is as sure to fail as the war on drugs.

Here's Rahm's stance on issues while in Congress. [More...]

A little more on CeaseFire, from the New York Times:

CeaseFire, a program that treats street shootings as an epidemic similar to an outbreak of the flu, is one such unconventional approach. The group employs community members as intelligence sources on brewing conflicts. Before a dispute can erupt into violence, CeaseFire dispatches resolution specialists to intervene and help ease tensions.

The CeaseFire program was recently called a national model for violence reduction by the Department of Justice. Yet inconsistent state and local financial support has blunted the group’s impact, and low funding levels have limited the program’s use to just a handful of Chicago neighborhoods.

What should Rahm be looking at? Things like Youth PROMISE Action and support for the Youth PROMISE Act (Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education Act):

The Youth PROMISE Act (HR 1064/S 435) is bipartisan legislation that will give our communities the support and funding they need to effectively address youth violence issues. By specifically focusing on violence prevention and intervention strategies, this bill ensures we are funding programs that save lives and give every young person the opportunity to meet his or her potential.

Here's a summary of the bill. Among the bill's findings:

(4) Investment in prevention and intervention programs for children and youth, including quality early childhood programs, comprehensive evidence-based school, after school, and summer school programs, mentoring programs, mental health and treatment programs, evidence-based job training programs, and alternative intervention programs, has been shown to lead to decreased youth arrests, decreased delinquency, lower recidivism, and greater financial savings from an educational, economic, social, and criminal justice perspective.

Introduced in 2009 by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), the bill has 235 co-sponsors. Rahm is dangerously out of touch on this issue. The last thing Chicago needs is another crime-warrior.

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Rahm Emanuel Announces Run for Chicago Mayor, War on Gang Members | 19 comments (19 topical)

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I do not understand (5.00 / 2) (#3)
by nyjets on Sun Oct 03, 2010 at 10:43:56 PM EST

'Gang leaders don't target children, nor do they condone their killing,'

Considering the number of innocent people killed and terrorized by street gangs, this distinction means nothing.

: Works Like A Charm (none / 0) (#5)
by squeaky on Sun Oct 03, 2010 at 11:00:46 PM EST

Tough on crime, pulls the knee jerk voters to vote for idiots.
Sad to see it working on commenters here.

So the perps below probably weren't (5.00 / 1) (#4)
by Harry Saxon on Sun Oct 03, 2010 at 10:45:55 PM EST

gang members?

From chicagobreakingnews(dot)com:

Two young girls playing jump-rope on a hot summer night were shot Tuesday evening when two people rode up on bikes and opened fire in the Roseland neighborhood on the Far South Side.
Tanaja Stokes, 8, was shot in the head and died within an hour, authorities said. Her 7-year-old cousin Ariana Jones was also shot in the head and was in critical condition at Advocate Christ Medical Center this morning. Earlier reports said Ariana was 5.
They were among 10 people shot overnight in Chicago, including a 14-year-old boy wounded in the leg south of the Loop. The shooting comes two weeks after 13-year-old Robert Freeman Jr. was shot down in West Pullman, about a mile and a half away.
"What I want to know is what is wrong with Chicago? Everyday someone's getting shot," cried Tanaja's great-grandfather, Theodore Willis.

Click Me

Knee Jerk Voters (none / 0) (#6)
by squeaky on Sun Oct 03, 2010 at 11:02:12 PM EST

Tough on crime, war on drugs, protecting our children gets the votes.

Fascism took off in the same way. Sad to see it working on supposedly educated voters here.


Children are getting shot (5.00 / 2) (#7)
by Harry Saxon on Sun Oct 03, 2010 at 11:08:15 PM EST

on the streets of Chicago, but politicians who address that fact are inherently fascists.

Hokay.


You Are Ignorant (5.00 / 1) (#8)
by squeaky on Sun Oct 03, 2010 at 11:18:06 PM EST

Please read up on effective methods of abating gang violence, Jeralyn has offered some information.

YOur knee jerk, reaction is sad to see.

All a Pol has to do is talk about protecting children and it seems most normal people will become hypnotized.

Using gang violence to get elected is disgusting. The solutions Rahm et al. use to get votes is a proven failure.


Saying "Gangs don't target children" (5.00 / 1) (#9)
by Harry Saxon on Sun Oct 03, 2010 at 11:30:11 PM EST

is ridiculous and ignorant.

From last year's L. A. Times

Alleged gang associate charged in fatal baby shooting in San Fernando Valley
October 13, 2009 | 10:54 am
Prosecutors charged an alleged Blythe Street gang associate today with the killing of a 4-month-old boy shot when gang members opened fire in Van Nuys on a group they believed were rivals from another gang.
Alfonzo Landa, 17, was charged with murder, six felony counts of attempted murder and attempted carjacking for his alleged role in the slaying of Andrew Garcia, said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the L.A. County District Attorney's office. A second suspect continues to be the target of a Los Angeles Police Department manhunt in a slaying Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called "an obscene and unspeakable tragedy."
Landa was arrested early Thursday and charged as an adult. He is due to be arraigned today in Van Nuys and is being held in lieu of $9 million bail, Robison said.

Whatever the merits or problems with Rahm's approach, these are real children dying in the streets of Chicago and elsewhere, I suggest you contact Mr. Willis(above) if you have any doubts on that count.


there are already laws (5.00 / 3) (#11)
by Jeralyn on Mon Oct 04, 2010 at 01:09:51 AM EST

allowing for life imprisonment for murder, whether one is a gang member or not. Calling for more laws and making exceptions to providing those suspected of gang affiliation of constitutional rights will not solve the problem.

Figuring out a way to offer at risk youth a better life, and respecting their constitutional rights so that they don't hate authority, is a far better approach.

And yes, commenter Saxon needs to do some research. Perhaps he's never met a "gang member" or someone accused of being a gang member merely because of where he lives or the color of his skin. I did provide some links above. Here are some more:

Senate Approves $1 Billion for "Gang Fear and Pandering Act"

Report: Locking Up Gang Members Doesn't Work

Calling All Conservatives: Anti-Gang Legislation

Opposing the 'Gangbuster Bill'

Feinstein and Lieberman: Two Peas in a Pod

Action Alert: Oppose S. 456, Feinstein's Gang Legislation Bill

Opposing the "Gangbuster Bill"

Feinstein-Hatch Gang Bill a Terrible Idea

No one is disputing that some children have died during violent shootings in Chicago. The point is this is just an campaign slogan for Rahm, intended to prey on fear and emotion of parents.
Gang leaders don't target children-- they don't give orders to their members "go out and kill some random kids today." It's not their style and against their code.

There are ways to reduce the overall violence and my point is Rahm apparently has no intention of educating himself on this, any more than some commenters here.


: Poor misunderstood gang leaders! (3.00 / 2) (#13)
by Harry Saxon on Mon Oct 04, 2010 at 07:13:51 AM EST

Gang leaders don't target children-- they don't give orders to their members "go out and kill some random kids today." It's not their style and against their code.
Somebody targeted the children in Chicago I mentioned above, it wasn't a case of 'they got hit in the crossfire'.
Same for the family with the baby, the gangster in question probably didn't target the baby they targeted the family and the baby died as a result.
You're starting to sound like the kids singing "Officer Krupke", from West Side Story, but without their lack of irony.

Well (none / 0) (#10)
by squeaky on Mon Oct 04, 2010 at 12:14:51 AM EST

Seems to me that solving problems is a better approach than maintaining and escalating them.

Sad to hear that Rahm and the wingers make you feel safer.

If I were you I would read a book or two on alternate approaches to gang violence. Fearmongering by pols is as old a trick as they come.


Read what I wrote, not what you wish I wrote (none / 0) (#15)
by Harry Saxon on Tue Oct 05, 2010 at 08:39:04 AM EST

Whatever the merits or problems with Rahm's approach, these are real children dying in the streets of Chicago and elsewhere, I suggest you contact Mr. Willis(above) if you have any doubts on that count.

BS (none / 0) (#16)
by squeaky on Tue Oct 05, 2010 at 12:52:12 PM EST

Unless you are just posting random facts and statistics, and if that is the case you should write a diary about the children, and not comment in this thread.

IOW you are making the same arguments that Politicians make in order to create even tougher laws. If you really do care about children, and are not just spewing right wing talking points, you will find out that the tough on crime laws have a negative effect on stemming gang violence.

But why think out of the box when you can get your audience to eternally weep over the poor children.


I demonstrated that there is a problem (none / 0) (#17)
by Harry Saxon on Tue Oct 05, 2010 at 02:32:18 PM EST

with children dying of gunshot in Chicago, that is not BS.

IOW you are making the same arguments that Politicians make in order to create even tougher laws.

By just pointing to the fact that he's addressing a real issue in Chicago, and after explicitly saying that his solution to this problem should be judged on it's merits.

Good point.

If you really do care about children, and are not just spewing right wing talking points, you will find out that the tough on crime laws have a negative effect on stemming gang violence.

Would you consider gang injunctions as "tough on crime"?

From en.wikipedia(dot)org:

In Los Angeles today, under current City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, there are 37 gang injunctions covering 57 gangs and 11,000 gang members in the City of Los Angeles. Many attribute the 33% decline in gang membership in L.A. over the past five years (from 57,000 members in 2001 to roughly 39,000 members today) to the effective use of civil gang injunctions by City law enforcement officials.

But why think out of the box when you can get your audience to eternally weep over the poor children.

You might want to take off your blinders and see how it isn't a problem in Chicago alone.

Perhaps you could do your own research if you don't think child shootings don't happen in other major and minor cities around the country.

I have strong feelings on the subject because I read about such things in the Los Angeles Times occasionally, but you think I'm just trying to manipulate an audience.

Yes, let's not worry about how Mr. Emmanuel proposes to move against child killers, it's an overrated subject not worthy of your beautiful mind.


Gang Members Are Children TOo (none / 0) (#18)
by squeaky on Tue Oct 05, 2010 at 11:39:37 PM EST

You have little idea about what works, and do not care much about the issue, because if you did, you would not be repeating talking points that guarantee failure.


: They're 8 or 9 years old (none / 0) (#19)
by Harry Saxon on Wed Oct 06, 2010 at 08:31:57 AM EST

like the case in Chicago?
You don't think much of gang injunctions, I take it.
But keep giving excuses for them, criminals need all they sympathy they can get if they're just 'children'.
It's risible that you accuse me of hiding behind 'the children' when you're using the same tactic about gang members when you have no facts behind you.

The countries gain is Chicago's loss (none / 0) (#1)
by kdm251 on Sun Oct 03, 2010 at 10:20:22 PM EST

Rahm is an idiot. Making him chief of staff was probably Obama's biggest mistake in his first two years.

I'm against thugs and mean people (none / 0) (#2)
by beefeater on Sun Oct 03, 2010 at 10:23:26 PM EST

unless of course they're democrat.

Let's tell Rahm directly. www.chicagoforrahm.com (none / 0) (#12)
by AaronVoldman on Mon Oct 04, 2010 at 04:31:03 AM EST

Hi,

Thank you so much for posting this article. While viewings Rahm's video, my eye brows also perked up, when I heard Rahm say: "we can't have gangbangers taking the lives of our school children." He is not explicit about how he intends to accomplish this task in the video. I do hope that during the listening tour and subsequent conversations that Chicago will speak up in support of prevention and intervention, and make it clear to Rahm that if he wants to be serious about getting this right, he can't fall into the trap of the tough on crime rhetoric.

While toughness might get a piece of legislation passed, it is the empathetic, conciliatory, and sensitive qualities of the White House that must guide policy creation when it comes to youth development. Our at-risk young people are born into communities and families where they are set up to fail. It's time for justice policies that at the least won't get in the way of the people of chicago's efforts to build peace in their community, and at best to truly support these courageous community leaders. I'm praying Rahm will get it.

Please please please if you care about this topic and Rahm getting it right visit www.chicagoforrahm.com and on the top right hand side tell Rahm to be "Smart on Crime" and to support community-driven prevention and intervention.

-Aaron

PS: I work with Student Peace Alliance, the host of YouthPROMISEAction.org. thanks for the plug. and please sign the petition on our site to pass this critical bill for Chicago and America!

too squishy liberal for Rahm (none / 0) (#14)
by kempis on Mon Oct 04, 2010 at 08:24:04 AM EST

Rahm knows liberals lose.

I'd like to hear Rahm promise some innovative juvenile justice programs and programs designed to assist at-risk kids in finding alternatives to gangs.

You'd think this would be a winner in Chicago. It's been a popular position in Pittsburgh in response to gang violence. And aren't there more liberals in Chicago?

Oh well. At least he'll be Chicago's problem now.