The fact that the police are so polite as to warn the drug gangs of the upcoming campaign makes me wonder if the police aren't getting money from the drug gangs. This would not be unusual in Chicago. Of course, it is also possible that the police are content to just arrive and set up a crime scene after a drive by shooting. The gangs are reputed to have better weapons than the police and the police probably do not want to start a war with the gangs.
Chicago does have a major problem with gun violence and much is caused by turf wars between gangs. Chicago received a lot of bad publicity over its murder rate recently. Two state representatives asked Gov. Quinn to bring in the National Guard back in April.
2 Chicago state reps: Bring in the National GuardApril 25, 2010 10:48 PM Chicago Democrats John Fritchey and LaShawn Ford said they want Quinn, Mayor Richard Daley and Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis to allow guardsmen to patrol streets and help quell violence. Weis said he did not support the idea because the military and police operate under different rules.
"Is this a drastic call to action? Of course it is," Fritchey said. "Is it warranted when we are losing residents to gun violence at such an alarming rate? Without question. We are not talking about rolling tanks down the street or having armed guards on each corner."
What he envisions, Fritchey said, is a "heightened presence on the streets," particularly on the roughly 9 percent of city blocks where most of the city's violent crimes occur.
Weis previously identified those "hot spots" and said he plans to create a 100-person team made up of selected and volunteer police personnel to respond to crime there. If guardsmen were to assist police, they could comprise or contribute to that force, Fritchey said.
So far this year, 113 people have been killed across Chicago, the same number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined in the same period, Fritchey said.
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/04/state-reps-want-to-fight-violence-with-national-guards-help.html Chicago also got a lot of attention because of the recent Supreme Court slap down on the Chicago gun ban.
Bad Luck for Chicago's Bloody Summer
What a recent high-court ruling on handgun bans means for a city that saw 54 people shot and 10 killed in one weekend.By: Lynette Holloway | Posted: June 30, 2010 at 6:29 AM Just last weekend, a veteran Chicago law enforcement officer said he was hopeful that the U.S. Supreme Court would strike down the city's longstanding handgun ban because it would help address the city's intractable gang problem.
"That way everybody would be able to carry a gun,'' said the veteran officer, who patrols the border of West Englewood, one of the city's deadliest neighborhoods, and spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal. "Gang bangers will think twice about robbing people because they won't know if they are carrying a weapon, too
***snip***
To the dismay of Mayor Richard M. Daley and Police Superintendent Jody Weis, the ruling essentially renders Chicago's handgun ban unenforceable. For years, the two have fought to rid the streets of guns, saying they contribute to gang warfare. Just recently, police said gangs were mostly responsible for a paroxysm of violence that left 10 people dead and 44 shot (including a baby girl) across the city one recent summer weekend.
So far this year, there have been 209 homicides, a number the city didn't see until July last year, according to RedEye, a Tribune service that tracks homicides in the city. Police attribute much of the bloodshed to gang violence.
"It is a well-known fact that Chicago gang members are better armed than Chicago police officers,'' said the law enforcement veteran, who has 20 years on the force, "but they are not engaged in warfare with us. They are shooting each other. Unfortunately, these bullets don't have names on them. They hit whoever's in their path. They don't care. They shoot and run. We don't catch them because they know that by the time we get there, they will be gone because we do not have enough officers to respond to calls fast enough.''
http://www.theroot.com/views/bad-luck-chicagos-bloody-summer The chances of allowing Chicago residents to own handguns in the homes, causing a decrease in gang related murder seems slim to me. It will, however, allow honest residents the chance to use handguns for self defense in case of a home invasion. The city, unfortunately, has put numerous hurdles in the path of obtaining a handgun. Few people will have the time and the money and the patience to get permission to own one.
But the program that might be launched by the Chicago police is serious and effective...
The heat could include towing gang members' cars for parking violations, pulling them in for more parole visits or repeatedly pulling them in for traffic violations.
Weis also made it clear to the gang leaders that this will not be a pass on other criminal activity, emphasizing that the joint law enforcement effort will also use the racketeering statutes in their crackdown.
"If you buy a car for your mom, we'll take that car. If you buy a home for your mother, we'll take that home, as long as we can tie it to the proceeds of your illegal activity," Weis said he told the gangs.
But with the stick, police also offered a carrot, holding out the prospect of jobs programs to give gang members an option besides a life of continued crime.
Some police officers were critical of the meeting, seeing it as a sign of weakness, but Weis said the program has been tried and worked in cities such as Boston and Cincinnati.
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/jody-weis-meets-with-chicago-gang-leaders-20100828 From my view, the point is that draconian gun control directed at honest citizens accomplishes little or nothing. Obviously, we do need some gun control laws in our nation and basically what we have is fairly effective at insuring that gun stores sell to honest citizens. These laws can be improved by tweaking and in the case of the NICS background check, better financing to allow the states to input more criminal records faster.
I have often stated that I feel that now is the time to focus future gun control efforts on the criminal element. Eliminating or at least curtailing these constant turf wars between gangs could help bring down the murder rate in many cities. We need strict enforcement of existing gun laws coupled with a justice system that is not merely a revolving door.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
