It appears that Chicago’s mayor, Rahm Emanuel, has a new method of fighting the city’s gang problem, which is to appeal to the gangs’ sense of values:
Heaven’s death is the latest of 253 murders so far this year in what has become a numbing drumbeat of violence. But her killing may be a crescendo. It prompted an angry Mayor Rahm Emanuel to lecture the gangs driving this staggering 38% increase in Chicago homicides.
Asked about this shooting at an economic development event, the mayor said, “This is not about crime. This is about values. Take your gang conflict away from a 7-year-old. Who raised you? You have a 7-year-old selling lemonade. You’re a member of a gang coming to get lemonade and another gang member is driving by. Where were you raised and who raised you?” His voice rising and pointing his finger, he continued sternly, “Stay away from the kids!”
I’m sure this strategy will work, after all gang members are known for their high moral standards. Just because some thugs are willing to murder other individuals over petty turf wars doesn’t mean they can’t be reasoned with, right? That’s been the problem throughout history, people simply haven’t nicely asked violent criminals to stop! It’s almost certain that Chicago’s crime rate is going to drop like a rock now that Emanuel asked the gangs to abide by societal values!
Seriously, what a putz. Violent crime is spiking in Chicago and the best Emanuel can do is ask the gangs to be nicer? He’s still fighting any attempted loosening of Chicago’s almost blanket ban on self-defense because allowing non-violent individuals to defend themselves against violent criminals would obviously be crazy.