Chicago gun violence largely overshadowed by Colorado tragedy
theGRIO REPORT - Why, activists ask, hasn’t there been as much attention paid to Chicago’s crime issue nationally--the president’s hometown?...
Fields is part of a group of 70 Chicago-area faith leaders who make up the Chicago Clergy Coalition, a group of faith leaders devoted to helping lead social justice and economic development in the city. The group met for reflection and prayer Monday, and wants to encourage city-wide peace.
Serving in a high-crime community on Chicago’s West side, Fields contends that although Chicago has a murderous reputation dating back to as far as the Al Capone days, “…politicians and policy makers are not excused from making violence reduction part of their political will.” In most recent instances, he said, “[politicians and policy makers] are able to in an isolated sense, protect for NATO or secure with NATO, Chicago police have shown that when they want to stop violence, they’re capable of doing so. So I think there’s lack of political will, creativity, ingenuity and resources.”
When there’s a “lack of political will,” Fields says, the drug economy drives a lot of the Chicago violence and murders, which is often attributed to the lack of jobs, education and other factors. “So there has to be a political will to increase jobs, to create a state-of-the-art educational system that produces responsible citizens,” however, he says, “…the real solution is going to be on a grassroots level: homes, faith institutions, community-based organizations.”
Lowery concurs, stating that for some reason, “The powers that be are not getting to those people to offer them something…economic resources. A lot of those kids have dropped out of school. It’s total chaos.”
Chicago Police Department Superintendent Garry McCarthy detailed some of the ways the city plans to attack murder in a report with The Grio last month. He said that in addition to policy, it will take “incremental change” to transform the city from its violent reputation.
Activists and residents are thinking creatively about how turn the local gun control debate into a national conversation.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Mayors Against Illegal Guns released a report Tuesday by GOP pollster Frank Luntz showing that gun owners and NRA members “overwhelmingly support a variety of laws designed to keep firearms out of dangerous hands, even as the Washington gun lobby prepares to spend unprecedented millions supporting candidates who pledge to oppose any changes to U.S. gun laws,” according to the organization. It says that 87 percent of NRA members feel that supporting the 2nd Amendment goes hand in hand with keeping guns away from criminals. Seventy-four percent of those polled support requiring a criminal background checks of anyone purchasing a gun, while 79 percent support requiring gun retailers to perform background checks on all employees, among other “common sense” gun rules.
“This poll shows plain and simply how seriously out-of-step the leadership of the NRA is with its membership – and how, despite what previous polls say, there really is support for common sense gun laws in the U.S.,” said Mayors Against Illegal Guns Co-Chair and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino in a statement. Bloomberg added “It’s time for those in Washington – and those running for President – to stand with gun owning citizens who are concerned about public safety, rather than influence peddling lobbyists who are obsessed with ideology.”
The Chicago Clergy Coalition is calling for Chicago to engage in a peace weekend. “We hope that all of Chicago will find themselves in a faith institution to become moved and energized to participate in bringing peace to all of Chicago,” said Fields.
To help encourage a national conversation on the gun control debate, The Brady Campaign launched Tuesday a website called “We Are Better Than This,” asking people to sign petitions requesting presidential candidates to get involved and lead the country in the conversation, in addition to sharing ideas and working with advocates across the country to come together and find solutions.
“We want everybody involved,” Brewer says, no matter what political affiliation, ethnic background, profession or any other difference. “Even if you’re a gun owner or not, we want people of good will who know that this kind of violence is unacceptable to come to the table and work together to find solutions and get those solutions implemented a as quickly as possible,” she said.
