Paramilitary Police State & Private Prisons

Lawmakers: Use Military to Fight Chicago Violence

Legislators Say Chicago Would Welcome The Aid, But City's Top Cop Does Not Embrace

Apr 26, 2010

CBS 11 News, Chicago - Those living in violence-plagued neighborhoods say their streets have turned into a war zone. Now two Chicago lawmakers say it's time to treat those areas as if a battle was really being waged there, especially when it comes to giving the police the help they need: the National Guard.

Twenty-month-old Cynia Cole was shot to death in the back seat of a car, the victim of a bullet intended for her father.

"This is a child! How can you live with yourself after you've done this?" asked her grandmother Cynthia Lyons, a day after the killing.

Cynia is among the 113 Chicagoans killed by violence so far this year, in a city where police officers are admittedly stretched to their limits.

It's the same number of deaths registered by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan for the same time period. Some state lawmakers say the violence at home now requires similar military back-up.

"Just because something is unprecedented doesn't mean it's unwarranted," state Rep. John Fritchey, D-Chicago, said.

Along with Rep. LaShawn Ford, Fritchey is calling on Gov. Pat Quin and Mayor Richard Daley to deploy the National Guard to help the city's police department combat the shootings, killings and crime sprees plaguing some Chicago neighborhoods.

"When you have a police department that is offered help, I'd be hard pressed to understand why they wouldn't accept that help," Fritchey said.

But the city's top cop, Police Superintendent Jody Weis, reacted cautiously to the idea.

"As much as I'd like to have as much help as possible, I am not sure mixing the National Guard with local law enforcement is the solution," he said.

Weis says the missions of the National Guard and the Police Department differ in principle. Police officers are trained in how to legally execute search warrants, and preserve evidence for prosecution. The guard's mission statement in the theater of war doesn't necessarily take that into account.

"The military doesn't work under the same U.S. Constitutional amendments that law enforcement does," Weis said.

But for those floating the idea, drastic violent times require drastic measures.

"When kids from the South Side and West Side have to worry about getting to and from school alive, there is something wrong with that," Fritchey said.

Weis says support in Springfield for stricter gun laws would go farther in helping police fight crimes. For now, Quinn isn't commenting on the proposal.

The Second City Cop Chicago Police officers' blog also expressed doubt about idea. "Again with the guard," a blog entry on the subject was headed.

"Why not just hire more police instead of trying to do things on the cheap?" Second City Cop said.

Residents of Englewood – the scene of recent gun violence - were also skeptical about idea of having troops come into troubled neighborhoods.

"Bring in troops for what? What are they going to do? What, are they going to have martial law or something? Come on now, we're not over in Iraq," Jacqueline Hamilton said.

Programs, not soldiers, are the answer, she said.

"What they need is to bring in more programs for people to learn how to do things to get jobs," she said. "Open up more jobs for ex-felons. It's hard for ex-felons to get a job out there."

Earlier this month, the police brass reported a 9.5 total decline in crime for March of this year, for the fifteenth consecutive month of lower overall crime in the city. But murders increased through the end of March compared with last year, by 4.3 percent, or three more homicide victims.

Last year, the city's murder rate fell 11 percent. The murder rate went up the year before that, but city is far from setting any homicide records recently. The worst year for homicides in Chicago history was 1974, when there were 970 murders, followed by 1992, when there were 943.

Two Chicago State Reps: Bring in the National Guard

April 25, 2010

Chicago Breaking News Center - Two state representatives called on Gov. Pat Quinn Sunday to deploy the Illinois National Guard to safeguard Chicago's streets.

Chicago Democrats John Fritchey and LaShawn Ford said they want Quinn, Mayor Richard Daley and Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis to allow guardsmen to patrol streets and help quell violence. Weis said he did not support the idea because the military and police operate under different rules.

"Is this a drastic call to action? Of course it is," Fritchey said. "Is it warranted when we are losing residents to gun violence at such an alarming rate? Without question. We are not talking about rolling tanks down the street or having armed guards on each corner."

What he envisions, Fritchey said, is a "heightened presence on the streets," particularly on the roughly 9 percent of city blocks where most of the city's violent crimes occur.

Weis previously identified those "hot spots" and said he plans to create a 100-person team made up of selected and volunteer police personnel to respond to crime there. If guardsmen were to assist police, they could comprise or contribute to that force, Fritchey said.

So far this year, 113 people have been killed across Chicago, the same number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined in the same period, Fritchey said.

"As we speak, National Guard members are working side-by-side with our troops to fight a war halfway around the world," Fritchey said. "The unfortunate reality is that we have another war that is just as deadly taking place right in our backyard."

While the National Guard has been deployed in other states to prevent violence related to specific events and protests, the Chicago legislators said they are unaware of guardsmen being deployed to assist with general urban unrest.

Weis countered that the only scenario in which the National Guard would be helpful is in the situation of a tornado, earthquake or flood. If the military were brought in to help with city violence, they wouldn't answer to police command -- creating a "major disconnect" in mission and strategy.

Alluding to the 1970 Kent State University incident where the National Guard was called in and protestors and students were shot, Weis said having guardsmen handle crime could be "disastrous." But he said if the Daley suggested it, he would consider the option.

"I'm open to anything that reduces violence. But I have concerns when you mix law enforcement and the military," Weis said.

But Fritchey and Ford said prompt action is needed because summer is right around the corner and with the warm weather comes an increase in violence.

Fritchey and Ford serve two different constituencies, representing the North Side and the West Side respectively.

"One half of this city views this as a part of daily life," Fritchey said. "Another part of the city doesn't care because it doesn't affect them."

Yet the lawmakers said they are coming together because gun violence should be a priority to all Chicagoans.

"No help is too much help" Ford said. "This is not just about the murders. It's about the crime. It's about people being stabbed, robbed and in the hospital on life support."

Fritchey said he spoke to representatives from Quinn's office about deploying guardsmen and they "seemed open to the idea." The lawmakers had yet to speak to Weis or the mayor's office.

"I don't anticipate the governor implementing it over the objection of the mayor," Fritchey said.

"I hope this doesn't become a territorial issue. I hope this doesn't become an ego issue. This isn't about public relations or politics. This is about reclaiming our communities."

Chicago Minister Calls for National Guard to Patrol Streets

April 19, 2010

Fox News Chicago - Over the weekend, the violence in Chicago dropped dramatically. But that's not good enough for a South Side minister who wants the National Guard to help patrol Chicago's streets.

Marble Rock Baptist Church Minister Gregory Daniels and his supporters marched outside Chicago police headquarters on Monday.

"I have seen Chicago police go to a scene and get shot at," Rev. Daniels said. "They need some policing here other than Chicago police."

Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis disagrees. He points out that the number of people shot and killed dropped over the weekend after a bloody 24 hours spanning Thursday and Friday. And he noted that he had 36 officers at one recent shooting scene, and someone decided to start shooting again anyways.

"We have had two instances in the past 3 weeks where we have had officers on the scene and people have fired at them," he said. "So I don't know how you could have officers there any quicker."

Weis will detail his summer crime fighting strategy later this week. It will include a plan for faster intelligence and a different, more tactical deployment of Chicago police officers. Weis says other major cities like New York and Los Angeles are also seeing an uptick in violence, but that Chicago has more gangs and more guns than any other major city.

"I think we may have gotten a little bit lulled into complacency [by] not seeing so many shootings on TV," he said. "If you project it out we are still on pace to have a very, very good year."