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Derrick House, Frederick Seaton and Napoleon English know all too well about the violence that is plaguing the streets of Chicago. Each man has spent time in prison; two of them for murder.
But these days they spend their time trying to prevent one person from shooting another. They work for Ceasefire.
With a 39 percent jump in homicides in the first six months of 2012 compared to 2011, a new and sometimes uneasy alliance takes root on Friday to try and combat the deadly mayhem. Ceasefire workers and the Chicago Police Department begin, for the first time, to work together.
"Eighty percent of the homicides in Chicago are black on black homicides," said Tio Hardiman, the executive director of Ceasefire.
Hardiman, who grew up in the gang-riddled Henry Horner Housing complex, says Ceasefire’s job is to stop, in his words, "a guy from crossing the line."
"Therefore nobody goes to the cemetery. Nobody goes to the penitentiary," he noted as he sat in a west side park.
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Ceasefire began in 2000 as a public health initiative to try and put a stop to what was seen as an epidemic of violence in the city. The most controversial part of the program was recruiting ex-gang members and ex-felons to act as mediators.
Historically, the number of murders in Chicago has been much higher. Two decades ago, one year saw the city rack up more than 900 homicides.
But the nearly 40 percent jump in murders this year, even as overall crime goes down, has sparked a fierce debate on how to stop it.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Ceasefire is just one part of the city’s anti-violence arsenal, including boarding up vacant buildings, after school programs, curfews, and using legal RICO statutes to prosecute gang leaders.
There are an estimated 100,000 gang members in the city.
In the 1970s, gangs like the Blackstone Rangers and the Eastside Disciples, while deadly, existed with a top-down command structure.
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Today the gangs have splintered into more factions and the fights, and the shootings look more like anarchy than organization.
"There is no gang structure on the west side," said Fred Seaton. "It's just cliques."
"You have these renegade factions, anybody might shoot you now-a-days," said Hardiman.
On a recent summer evening, Patricia Bradley watched from her porch as teens played ball on her Austin neighborhood street.
"In order to stop this violence we have to have some jobs," she says, realizing that chronic poverty is, at times, combustible.
"Some of our young people are so full of rage and hate that you don’t know where to start," Bradley noted.
In 2011, Ceasefire says it worked with 1,100 high risk individuals over the course of more than 48,000 hours.
Asked if they at times feel hopeless, Derrick House spoke for Fred Seaton and Napoleon English.
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"I never feel hopeless," he said. "Never. I’m like, can’t give up on 'em. You can’t give up on 'em."
And Ceasefire officials say their work is paying dividends.
From January 2012 to May 2012, according to Hardiman, the Ceasefire zones have experienced about a 20 percent reduction in shootings and homicides this year already.
"In order to stop a homicide you have to have the ability to intercept a whisper," he says, noting, "it only takes about five seconds to pull the trigger."
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Leave a Comment:
"Ceasfire" started in 2000, what a wonderful record of success it has.
(Sarcasm button turned off now.)
I suspected it was "started" as none of the police officers white or black wanted to go into the project jungle. Kinda smart to save your own skin but the results are lacking lately.
Ex-felons hit Chicago's streets to fight violence. I hope they're adequately armed.
Until something is done about the illicit drug trade, violence in chicago will continue. Chicago is a major hub for drug transport and wherever there are drugs, there are people with guns. Judging by all our candidates and the president's stance on keeping drugs illegal (except Ron Paul), not only are they are ensuring this violence continues, but gets worse.
I would like to know how 2 ex-felons, convicted of murder, are back on the streets. I am sure the families of these victims are not to thrilled over the fact. This just opens the door for others to do the same thing in Chicago, knowing that they can commit murder and than walk again freely.
ozmosis
Well it looks like they are trying to do some good. Or should we let them rot in prison, while we pay to maintain them, and lose out on their insight to reduce violence????
You are right what_the_81. Prohibition does not work. Just look at how powerful gangs got during the 1930's when alcohol was illegal. Legalize drugs and tax the hell out of them. That should help with all of the budget short falls.
what_the_81, I agree that they are trying to do some good, however, would you have the same opinion if in fact you were one of the victims family members? I have had a family member murdered 15 years ago in the Chicago area and hope that person that commited that heinous crime never gets out of prison.
"Eighty percent of the homicides in Chicago are black on black homicides." Al Sharpton, where are you. Not much publicity in this for you is there.
Rahm Emanuel, Chicago's new mayor is under fire for the startling increase in homicides since he took over and the failure of his new 'gang strategy' he proudly touted during the election. Many police and aldermen are jumping all over him for this...!
Ironically Emanuel is blaming the previous administration for this homicide increase.... lol! Sound familiar to anyone?
say XDm9mm, I just bought a XDm compact 45 yesterday, I really like its accuracy and balance!
Rub, thanks for your comment on the XDm 45. I'm in the market myself.
The thing that worries me about this program is this.
If the program is enlarged . Than many CONS will learn to walk the walk and talk the talk just to get back on the streets again. We must remember we are dealing with street people. They are sly and cunning looking to take advantage of anything offered to them or situation they can exploit . Leopards do not have spots for nothing.
Funny to hear everybody talk as if they were let out of prison to do this work - If you read the article, they are ex-felons and ex-gang members - for the felons, that means they've served whatever sentence was given to them. So, given the option that they're already out, what would you rather have them doing?
Rub of the Green...
The ONLY thing I don't like about the XD's are where they are made. Croatia.
But they are very well made and very accurate. I like mine much more than my Glocks, or even the new S&W M&P I bought.
@ what_the_81
Good point ...I still believe in eye-for-an-eye but you never know these days since people get falsely accused all the time. There is that small chance that they were innocent or it was an accidental death framed as murder, etc etc and they are attempting to make right their wrongs.
OR.. time in prison was enough to mold them into something "better" and they're repenting
Insight is only available to free people? One would think that those behind bars would have better insight on what precipitated the crimes and how to reduce/prevent it.
Here is a 2009 report done with a grant for the US DOJ that examines Ceasefire, what it does, how it does it and whether it has any beneficial results in great detail:
You might read it now that your sarcasm switch is turned off. You might actually learn something.
i guess the other 20% of homicides are black on brown or black on white. good job naacp you guys should be proud.
Henry:
NAACP neither has guts or wisdom to tell their people what stinks. They are there feeding them sweet milk that except due to racism of white people they will not be doing this. White people are the problem and not gangs, and dealers and those men walk away from responsibility after breeding ritual.
White people are the problem? Are you for real? It's not the white people that are slaughtering each other. Please come back to reality.
No, he wasn't for real. Did you miss that part?
Yeah you know me I go out every night and make black guys fight over tennis shoe colors. I impregnate women at an alarming rate then run away to tell everyone I'm a man because I made a child I refuse to work and take care of. Yeah it's whitey doing this, we enslave whole neighborhoods with drugs and drive around flaunting cash and crime. Get real dude. You can't play the role of victim your entire life.
Sure you can. It is part of the culture. It is always somebody else's fault for their plight. But the bottom line is that when your life is cut short because of your lifestyle choices it was a lifelong fantasy - all 17 brief years of it.
XDm9mm, I couldn't agree more.
Even more TNB.
Jobs & Economic opportunity = Lower Crime Rate
Wall Street scum stealing millions daily = Higher Crime Rate
Even if you give this class of people job opportunity, they will still sell drugs for the quick money and claim their turf with gun war. It would take a hand out of free money, cars and houses to get these retards to stop their nonsense.... Tfffffff, that might not even stop em.
Do you reaally think people enjoy getting shot, or risking their life selling drugs daily just to survive? I think you are someone who probably never interviewed or talked to a person in a dire economic reality.
Guess who invented guns and drugs? Wasn't from the soutside of Chicago.
Blake, they don't need a job opportunity but experience and/or training. Why can't organizations set up free training [in needed fields] instead of giving away money, food, minimum wage jobs, etc? Ever heard the phrase "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime"?
Jonathan:
Allure of superfly sure beats drag of jobs.
ever been there jay?
i just finished a 30 day contract up there, help wanted signs all over the place. true they were service sector jobs that the potus loves to point at as "economic recovery" but bottom line, too many look for the quick buck and have absolutely NO intention of going to ( shudder) WORK. And before you start the whole " disadvantaged people who come from the slums and projects" whine. who created these neighborhoods? roaming gangs of "wall street scum" as you put it perhaps ?.......dont think so........
Nice Try. There are 100,000 gang members in Chicago, many would have no intention of "going straight" even if they could. With a 50% HS graduation rate most of them are to stupid to hold a job let alone get one. Point #2 as Liberals like to point out there are more White people on welfare than blacks, thus being in what you term dire economic reality. Question where are the white gangs gunning each other down?? This is a cultural issue not simply economics 101. Maybe you could use the police chiefs excuse and blame the Pilgrims , or the hot weather. Jesus Christ take responsibility
In Baltimore I have seen brand new Escalades, Jags, Mercs and BMWs in the absolutely worst neighborhoods. An honest job in those neighborhoods doesn't buy those rides. When the little kids see that which do you think they'll want to do? Work hard and walk to the job or hang out on the corner and sell so they can have the nice car and all the other trappings of fast money? These kids do not grow up understanding the value of life.
Culture Culture Culture- what do you value as a culture? what is important? is it education, honesty, dignity, the value of life, hard work and achievement? Or is it easy (though risky) fast money? drugs, pimpimg, gang life. etc..
Blake, I wish I could've voted you up twice.....I agree 100%!
great job celtic1
They have interviewed these animals. When asked if they were interested in jobs they gave a flat no as their response. They want all the government handouts they can get plus a steady supply of ammo.
That's right NFIL !!
Couldn't have said it better. These younger crowds learn by their surroundings and their "role models" .. whether it's by choice they shape their futures like that or because they have no other choice due to who their parents and/or guardians are. Shame that that goes on..
If only the rich would help more often--in America, not other countries.
Except for the cars, they already get the free handouts. By doing so it frees up their time to not need legitimate work but rather perform the services of providing unprescribed medications as free-lance pharmacists.
They have no desire to "learn to fish" when they can get the fish for free with no effort and not get the fish smell on their hands. Time spent fishing would detract from their irresponsible breeding practices.
Then make it to where they don't get crap for free. Set expiration dates on welfare, unemployment, etc. Set stricter rules for those residing in public housing. Since it's public housing have them submit to random searches of the public housing they are occupying. If weapons (or any violation of the stricter rules) is violated they have 30 days before being forcibly ejected.
My previous post seems to be misread or unclear. I'm saying give them the opportunity to learn some skill sets that are not for minimum wage jobs. If they fail to use the opportunity, then it's on them and the expiration dates & public housing rules kick in. I have no problem putting unmotivated or slackers seeking a free ride out on the street. Harsh? Yes, but these public programs were not meant to be forever. They meant to be temporary until one can get back on their feet. If they're unwilling, then bye-bye!
If you have 100,000 gang members in your city the word HOPE sort of disappears. The program started in 2000 does not seem to be working. The homicide rate up 40% and the ex-felons and Ceasefire officials say their work is paying dividends????? What dividends to the persons that are murdered and their families??? Thanks for the article though. One more major city to stay out of.
You know what happens when you cram too many rats into the cage?
They pull out their Glocks and start dusting one another.
Keep the bullets flying, Chicago.
Right on, Mark. As long as they are killing each other, keep the bullets flying. However, I doubt if their kill rate will ever come close to their birth rate. But every subtraction helps.
But you need to look at the positive side of that. They are doing their damnedest to support population control by removing breeding stock. Now they need to focus on "preventive" rather than post-coital measures.
thinker - your insight is brilliant! It is no mystery why you are referred to as "thinker".
Just clear proof that gun control works in America.
yeo lets take those nasty firearms from the law abiding citizen's. sure seams to be working well.
Leave that up to the adminastration in Washington, DC I hear that they want to do this and leave all the weapons with the gangs...
Sounds like what Chicago really needs is a Cyrus...Can you dig it?
Chicago; shades of Tombstone, Dodge City, gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Wild and open!
if only the knew a good community organizer this wouldn't be happening.......:)
( sorry folks it was just too easy)
Life is full of choices and consequences. Many of us have grown up living through tough financial circumstances and in bad neighborhoods. What it boils down to is whether the situation leaves a bad enough taste in your mouth that you fight to escape it. The fact is that many who live the life of a "Gangsta" do so because that is their choice. Explaining away personal responsibility is simply a cop out.
kudos you got it......you may have a cookie...............:)
You are absolutely correct. I grew up around drugs and violence. I left at 17 and never went back. Since then I have served in the Army, got a BA and am now working on my Masters degree. I made sure that my child never experienced that kind of life. He has now graduated high school and is going to college in the fall. People can change their lives ONLY if they really want to.
Props to ya Realistic woman.. and thank you for serving and making a positive difference!
<3
The Black leaders like Sharpleton, Cornell west, Jacksons, Travis, NAACP need to have courage to talk to black gangs and their leaders and transform them. They should have plan to go to house to house in these crime infected neighborhoods and talk each individuals and their families.
Where is Obama on this? He need to go to those precincts in major cities with out fo control crime rate and speak against crime and meet with gang leaders in person. If am man who want to change country cannot change his own neighborhood, what is there to trust in him? Why not Mitchell Obama make her own project the crime of black on black. That will be call hard job where she can bring her heavy power to bear on.
I do not cool with fancily dresses black leaders getting on stage and talking Shakespearean English trying to out do each other in who is the greatest oracle and philosopher there. If they are really leaders and they have guts and grits, this is their opportunity to shine
The hell you say!
Dat wuz funny.
If the racists on this page think that their race has no problems then they are more ignorant than what they are writing, no group is perfect.
Once upon a time long ago I grew up and lived in public housing in NYC from 1960 - 1985 when I moved out, myself and ALL of my friends was outside more than inside, each playground was packed and full of kids and teenagers, were their squabbles and fights, of course they were but NO ONE was ever shot, stabbed, blungeoned, pistol whipped, etc.
Fights were settled with fists and that was it, if you lost it was over and we moved on, the reason for this was no one carried guns. I am not going to blame guns directly because they were always around but no one really used them to settle minor beefs, the criminals in the neighborhood rarely carried guns and there was simply no need unless they were going to rob or stickup someone, not for personal beefs.
Today 13 year olds are packing heat and not afraid to pull the trigger, there is a crisis in American Black Ghettos and no one is speaking out including President Obama who is too busy trying to distance himself for reasons unknown instead of getting real about the situation, not the Gangsta Rappers (who are promoting the carnage in their lyrics), not the Black Actors, not the Black Politicians, not the Black Family, not the Elders of the community and it is sad that these icons are not doing anything of substance.
Let a White policeman shoot a armed and dangerous person and out comes Sharpton and Jackson and the rest of their followers looking to make a quick buck, but when a 3 year gets shot in a gangland cross fire no one shows up. Listen Black America, it is time to quit saying STOP THE VIOLENCE and start making examples of the criminals among you, rat them out, set them up, alert the police and politicians, give names and addresses of known gun toters, etc, etc. Enough is enough.
could have done without the "racist" remark...it took away from an otherwise fine post......sorry no cookie for you......:)
The remark must have hit a nerve, I added that no race is perfect so let the race without issues cast the first stone.
nope harle just tired of seeing the word slung about from every side of the spectrum. but i agree.and retract...... Oreo or chips ahoy?..........:)
I like Oreo's because they are black and white, Scooter, I like you...you know that I am black and make no excuses for what is going on in Chicago and other Ghetto's, it's a complete breakdown of society in some pockets of those neighborhoods. The best bet for survival for anyone living in those G*D forsaken places is to get out but if you can't then you need to go to war with these lowlifes by snitching, tattling, ratting them out, drop names off at the police station, etc. This is a local ghetto problem today, 100,000 gang members today, 200,000 tomorrow and then they will be coming for us. This affects us all.
going to "friend" ya......don't care about color myself. doing so because quite simply you make sense, and that my friend is a REAL rarity on this medium. thats why i picked Scrat as an avatar, he is always looking for nuts and here he can find plenty...........:)
and once again i agree.
HarleMan,
Got a whole bag of Chips Ahoy for you! I slid past the racist statement because it's true; every race has their problems.
I don't think anyone will top what you said simply for the fact that truth speaks for itself.
Scooter/Richard, it's been a pleasure reaching out to guys who really have something to add to a conversation instead of slinging insults, insults is easy but understanding what is going on is another thing. Society is general is in a period of decline, we can't see it because we are in it, this happens to all civilizations and if we don't start today by tackling our problems and issues (not just in the ghetto but our own back yards) it's going to get worse and worse and the ghettos will get bigger and bigger until they are right next door.
Now guy's, let me get some work done before I'm on Welfare and Food Stamps...see ya after the next baby or grandmother is shot or Sharpton holds a press conference with the Trayvon Martin family seeking dollars for himself.
Perhaps the news and media should pay more attention to the comments to their articles by unrecognized citizens who have "been-there-done-that" and are all too familiar with reality and speaking out with the truth.
Harleman, you have covered all bases. No favoritism was shown and you spoke truthfully. As soon as the defensive ignorant crowd stop over reacting with the race-card (especially where it ISN'T present), they can actually pay attention to the underlying cry for help followed by the solutions and possibilites attached along with them! Instead of grasping the "essence" of your meaning they chastice your word-choice.
People ALWAYS have a choice, even when it seems like there are none. Many are introduced to that "Gangsta" life style by relatives, parents, guardians, or trusted friends and feel that they have no choices and others witnessed the "easy-life" and watched others work little and bring home a lot ..fancy cars, clothes, etc.. and think that's the way to go instead of work for the things they have.
I suppose they think hard-work is overrated when they watch people gain so much from illegal and underground "business".
Wake up call, please!
serendipity..good thinking. A wise man once said "Use wisely your power of choice".(Og Mandino)..a thing many in Chicago seem not to do,
Great quote, Rural ... I think it's unfortunate that many of the younglings being brought up in that area and many others of that capacity do not realize their own potential and that their minds really are a terrible thing to waste.
Ridiculous! Chicago needs a military presence in the neighborhoods. Maybe the people should request NATO assistance since Obama has let his fellow Black Chicagoans die by murder. Chicago political corruption has fostered the drug gangs. The police can do nothing. They shoot a gang banger and Jesse Jackson comes to town and demands the police pay! Black Chicago Leaders seem to support the drug gangs! The only solution to stop the violence in Chicago is armed NATO Troops! If you bring in the National Guard, Jesse Jackson will destroy them when they take out a Black killer! NAACP - what are they doing about Chicago? Nothing! They know the only solution is to put the drug gang members behind bars for life! or shoot them dead!
Jamie, they already have a military presence...100,000 gang members, they don't need NATO troops because a whole lot of innocents will die. Forget Jackson, Sharpton, etc, they don't live in the 'Hood, they live in exclusive neighborhoods and are rich (not wealthy). The people of Chicago have to take care of the situation from the ground up by themselves, no one including President Obama is going to help them.
If we call them terrorists, which is what they are.....then we can bomb them from drones
Do you want the US dropping bombs on American Cities? How is that going to play out in the world?
citizen, tell me your being sarcastic............
He's serious.
hense my avatar found yet anouther..............gotta love it......................:)
As a transplant to Chicago, all I can say is changing the mindset will be quite an uphill battle and whatever black leadership is out there needs to get involved, like yesterday. Unfortunately, they are too busy organizing Trayvon protests and the like.
There is a deep ingrained culture in parts of this city that needs to change. Kids having kids and not raising them, no family structure, no discipline. Young people running wild and no one in their community stands up and says ENOUGH - this is WRONG! Sure, after a kid gets killed there are some vigils, some piles of teddy bears and then it starts again the next day.
All the jobs in the world won't help a generation of young people who have no respect for anything or anyone. Its always someone else's fault, never a hard deep look within to figure out what is broken. Where are the role models to say pull up your pants, take advantage of school and an education that is there for free, stop having kids if you ever want to get out of poverty.
But yeah, I don't see the first effort being made to change the mindset that results in so much violence.
Jayinflorida, you are so right. I grew up in the Ghetto's of NYC, Brooklyn and the Bronx before I got out and believe me there is a culture of laziness, handouts, waiting for government aid and checks, laying up and making babies, going to prison, wilding and lawlessness and it's sad.
Not everyone in the Ghetto follows that mindset but still condone it by doing nothing about it, as for jobs please...these kids pants are down to their ankles now and they can't talk except in slang, they don't even know how to read or write but can recite the latest gangsta Raps. They worship a prison culture that is totally make believe, Prison is HORROR but they don't know that because they think when they get their they will be cool.
About 2 generations are already lost, I wish that we could snatch up the young children now and remove them from their parents and have them raised in loving, clean and healthy environments and teach them proper respect, proper learning, proper conduct and proper education and then maybe the cycle could stop.
kudos to you both, and harle congrats on your .."escape"....for want of a better word.
I'm trying to win you over, ScooterTramp. This is a safety issue here what I am saying, what happens in these ghettos has to stop before it spreads outside of the ghetto, today it is only a ghetto issue but tomorrow it could affect us all.
unfortunately harle i fear it's too late.the town i call home is about 45-50k and has many of the same problems.
It's never too late, the President has to step in but he can't because it's election season. He should have done this last year.
harle sorry guy but this time i disagree,,,its all up to US. not obama, nor any other sleazebag politician , hell the government only makes things worse. well i gotta head to work, airplanes need built. (correctly) as an inspector i take my job very very seriously. oh and in parting may i add BTW i don't fly. think about that and have a good day all...............:)
jayinflorida my god man you know u just described Baltimore to a "T".....this nonsense will only STOP when the peeps themselves say enough is enough and pull their heads of their a$$e$ regarding the culture......SMH!!!
There is no hope, it seems here. No future. How is the cycle broken? Generations lost to drugs and violence. All we do is cast blame and point fingers. Nothing is being done because we are so frigging lost that we don't have a clue what to do. Our leaders have no clue. Nowhere to turn. Humanity has been lost. I have lived and seen enough to believe that... Hate, Hate, Hate it's What Makes the World Go Round and Round. Without hope left for anyone, the only way left is down into oblivion.
This is only to be expected. When all of the society is cowering because they are afraid of being un-PC then we get what we got. Now we are reduced to cowering from the gun toting thugs that rule the streets because "heroic" cops aren't enforcing the laws because the justice system turns them loose faster than the paperwork can be completed. It is a sad state for a society when a criminal's "rights" trumps a law-abiding citizens rights. It is even sadder for the society when the officers of the court are more worried about their win-loss record and their future political career than performing their job to the best of their ability.
What's wrong with letting the criminals double bunk? Oh yeah, it negatively impacts their ability to be rehabilitated. So how is that rehab program working out so far?
The only thing I see coming out of this are a bunch of ex-con felons, getting the information they need to regain control of THEIR turf. They'll recruit the best and brightest (read those smart enough to NOT get caught) for thier new organizations and ultimately start their careers anew. And the GOVERNMENT is paying them do do it.
You just have to love that Chicago.
XDm9mm, hate to say it but I was thinking the same thing, I don't know what an ex-Felon is..I mean do you actually retire from being a Felon, is there a pension, a healthcare plan. I think it is another waste of time and money.
This is just an attempt of Rahm Emmanuel to appear to be doing something about a situation they cannot control. It is 100,000 gang members vs. 14,000 cops.
harle....no, did you all know that the good ol U.S.A. is one of the few country's left that still believes in the totally archaic premise of "once a felon always a felon"
Aww, man!! All the time I thought they put us in Prison to Reform us of our evil ways, what a bummer!!
Thus "penitentiary" - until you are penitent of your evil ways.
Are their victims free to roam the streets? why were these two and no doubt countless others released? because the "promised"? convicted murders?
It's so very sad. I've been in o'Hare Airport but never in the city itself. folks have told me it's a great city to see and maybe so. But statistics such as these bring to mind an ACCEPTED culture that has gotten out of hand because liberal politicians scapegoat and take the power to stop it out of our hands. They perpetuate these conditions because otherwise they have no jobs. Like, we need a Jesse jackson or Barack Obama to save us? Seriously? We need strict discipline, harsh penalties and no compromise.
You never have to worry about guns in Chicago because all the citizens that do not commit crimes are discouraged to have guns. So all you have to do is stay away from the criminals and it also helps to run in a weaving pattern and learn how to duck n roll.
ohare? .....eeeeeekkkkkkk........:)
Where do I donate 9mm shells ?
They're back... Daley and Blago on the streets.
Another stupid idea from our bottom of the barrel politicians .... pay these ex-cons to sit around in the park and talk about how they are saving lives when the murder rate among blacks ... has doubled. Ridculous! What you should do get some of the NRA gun lovers and ask them if they want practice their gun self-defense on the South and West side. Then we could get rid of two problems, the NRA and the "gangstas."
listen for the popping sound ...then get back to us.........................:)
Really ?????
Yeah, really...
I have no problem with population control. These thugs came from illigitimate births with crack whore mothers. Since mom didn't get an abortion, nature is taking care of this problem for us. I say let the shooting go on. Maybe Eric Holder can supply the guns to them as well.
Lloyd, It's people like you who really have nothing to add of value as much as those vagrants in Chicago and elsewhere, what great contributions are you adding to the world and society today? If not then add yourself to the list of people on the population control list.
Lets be honest here. All of these ideas about solving the Chicago gangland problems are great... but they cost money that no one is willing to spend. We the people of the US are so concerned with raising taxes and big government interference that we forget the other costs of less money in social programs. Education is the key but who is going to pay for all of these "throw away" kids?
It amazes me that I can read in one post about how people are sick of spending government money on social programs and then in the next post the same people rant about how the government is not doing enough. Really, you can't have it both ways. Americans seem to want all the benefits and none of the costs.
Chicago is an American tragedy and as a country we should help. Yes, the black leaders in America need to stand up and defy the gangster mentality but the rest of us need to pony up too. Change takes time and money! We need to get kids involved and socially bought in while they are young and not yet victim to the hopelessness, fear and anger that drives them to the streets. I am willing to help pay for this.
I hope that these ex-felons are able to do exactly what they said, keep kids out of jail and above ground. Even one life saved is a job well done. Sometimes it takes someone who has been there to save someone who is headed there. Don't knock the program you aren't paying for that just might pay off. What better work for an ex-con then teaching baby gangsters a better way.
Oh yes... the TWELVE YEARS they've been doing this has been such a rousing success.
I believe the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Look out, look out the sky is falling!!! Great post that is totally lacking substinance. Chicago is an obamy tragedy and other politicians like this fool. Take prayer, flag salutes, pledge of alligence and correction out of the school and home and you get Chicago.. These are direct results of social programs where it benefits people to be lazy and ignorant so they can make more than a working class person who lost a job and is on unemployment. Stats are that social free-be welfare programs pay about 65% more than unemployment and qualify for food stamps, section 8 housing and yes, pay more that a lot of working class people who are just trying to make ends meet. As a bank branch manager I know of several of those lazy people knocking down 35-55K of tax payer money because fools feel we need to support the lazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzy ones!