Peraica and Alvarez talk tough at churches

Peraica is likely to lose but at least he'll go down swinging! Clout St:

Speaking separately before rapt congregations in West Englewood and North Austin, the candidates largely stuck to their scripts. Democrat Anita Alvarez touted her 22 years of experience as a prosecutor in the office and vowed to fight gangs, guns and drugs, while Republican Tony Peraica sought to paint himself as a reformer who would end corruption that he said distracts from public safety and leads to higher taxes.

Peraica, speaking to a largely African-American audience, promised to hire a black as his top deputy—an apparent attempt to challenge the minority support for Alvarez, who would be the first Hispanic and first female to hold the post.

Peraica said his deputy would be “from the neighborhood, of the neighborhood and for the people of Cook County," citing the disproportionate number of minorities in the criminal justice system. He vowed support for programs that would keep drug offenders out of jail, and said Alvarez has had decades inside the office to effect change, but hasn’t.
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Alvarez stressed her working-class roots and her love for the job, saying she is honored to serve as the “voice of the victims of crime.” She detailed her work on the case of “Girl X,” a 9-year-old who was assaulted, poisoned and left for dead in a stairwell at the Cabrini-Green housing project.

She emphasized her role as a mother, and spoke of the office’s need to reconnect with communities, especially minority areas where there is a distrust of law enforcement.

“I know who my victims are, right? My victims are minority,” Alvarez told the predominantly African-American crowd at Liberation Christian Center on the South Side. “They look like you, they look like me."

It may not help that Peraica found himself interviewed by reporters from Entertainment Tonight with regards to the Hudson murders.

Happy Election Day!