Bill Daley: Chicago cannot keep tolerating gun violence

The former Obama White House chief of staff, former Clinton Secretary of Commerce, and the son & brother of two Chicago mayors has this to say about the gun violence in our fair city's crime ridden neighborhoods

We keep thinking that Chicago's gun violence can't get worse, and then it does. Three children killed in four days in February. Nearly 100 gun deaths already this year, after 766 last year. The latest? Chicago gangs are increasingly using high-powered rifles to maim and kill each other (and innocent bystanders, too, of course). As the Chicago Tribune reports, police say rifles are increasingly becoming popular because, well, "they are deadlier." "Rifle bullets can tear through cars and other obstacles, including standard-issue bulletproof vests worn by Chicago police," the Tribune reports.

If foreign terrorists had infiltrated Chicago to commit this mayhem, is there any doubt that the country would be at war? Why, then, are we wringing our hands but taking so little meaningful action when it's Chicago residents killing each other?

He mentions solutions such as mandatory minimums for those who carry firearms without a permit. Also give police leeway to stop and search suspect without setting any racial profiling triggers. Essentially we're talking about stop and frisk with that which Daley noted:

Many people wrongly believe a federal judge in New York City ruled that stop-and-frisk policies are unconstitutional. In fact, the judge specifically said such tactics can be legal if they don't amount to racial profiling.

A study of New York City's stop-and-frisk policy, published last year in a Columbia Public Law Research Paper, concluded that targeted police stops "based on probable cause or (indications) of actual crime" were associated with "significant crime reductions."

And of course the next step is to establish better relationships between police and citizens especially in those minority communities affected by gun violence. Regardless something needs to change and we can't have innocent people living in a virtual war zone in this world class city.

Via Newsalert

Map to find an event for #putthegunsdown

In addition to the event posted by Levois this morning, the Mayor's Office posted a link with a map for all activities related to this event.

It's a kickoff, and there are MANY activities churches and many other organizations can do, not just tonight, but throughout the summer.