As Crime Continues To Rise in Chicago, Rahm Announces He's Leaving Office
After Chicago’s most violent weekend this year, with 71 people shot and 12 killed, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Tuesday that he would not seek re-election to a third term.
Emanuel reportedly attempted to blame the crime on a lack of morals within violent communities.
“I am asking … that we also don’t shy away from a full discussion about the importance of family and faith helping to develop and nurture character, self-respect, a value system and a moral compass that allows kids to know good from bad and right from wrong,’ he said, according to Fox News.
Democrat state Sen. Kwame Raoul said some communities haven’t received adequate investment, so mental health services in those areas have been affected and schools have been closed.
Other leaders agree there has been a lack of resources, some because some various public safety grants have been held in limbo.
Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson announced that hundreds of additional police officers would be deployed to the most violent neighborhoods until things were under control, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Former police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, who is also running for mayor, tweeted:
https://twitter.com/Garry4Chicago/status/1026484865720610818
Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s lawyer, tweeted about the violence as well:
Chicago murders are direct result of one party Democratic rule for decades. Policing genius Jerry McCarthy can do for Chicago what I did for NYC. He was one of the architects of Compstat. Slashed homicides over 70%. Tens of thousands of lives saved.
— Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) August 6, 2018
“But while he came into office with high hopes, Chicago’s high murder rate and an increase in violent crime soured many residents to his administration,” Fox News reported. “Emanuel tried to fend off the attacks while calming an alarmed electorate, but the violence only fueled the calls for political change in the February 2019 election.”
Homicides specifically were down from 2017, yet these numbers have continued to be higher than the number of killings in Los Angeles and New York City combined, Fox added.
Prior to his position as mayor, Emanuel was a Democrat congressman and then chief of staff to President Barack Obama.
Obama released a statement speaking highly of the work Emanuel has done in Chicago.
“With record job growth and record employment over his terms in office, Chicago is better and stronger for his leadership, and I was a better President for his wise counsel at a particularly perilous time for our country,” Obama said.
Emanuel spoke at a news conference Tuesday.
“For the last seven and a half years I’ve given my all every day and left everything on the field. This commitment has required significant sacrifice all around. … We have more to do and from now until then, we will do everything in our power to get it done and walk out the door hopefully leaving Chicago and Chicagoans in a better place,” he said.
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