Chicago mayor says violence is a problem all must help solve

In an attempt to meet the increasing violence in Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, on Thursday, in an often emotionally tinged speech, at a local community college, outlined his plans to shore up the police with 500 new police officers, in an effort to help address a situation that has garnered national headlines.

His appearance was also an attempt to redefine himself from the cold-hearted bureaucrat that could hurl F-bombs at unsuspecting staffers, or sneer at reporter’s questions, to one of a compassionate mayor, who deeply cares about the welfare of the city’s residents. For protestors outside, it was not enough as they held aloft placards some that said, “RESIGN,” and “END RACISM.”

Depending on your viewpoint, he was either successful, or was not. One area that he did not specify was how he was going to pay for the new officers, who, with training, could cost $138,000 during the first year. Not to mention how to further pay for those that would supervise the new recruits, and to fill the void for those promoted..

In an immediate concession to the increasing shootings and homicides, Emanuel, was forced to admit that it "threatens everything we have done together,"  and that fighting it will be "our top priority as a city."

"This fight belongs to all of us,"  he said against a statistical background that shows more shootings in less than one year, including the bloody month of August, and a Labor Day weekend that brought even more violence. The 13 killings that happened over Labor Day weekend in Chicago were enough to bring the city to a bloody milestone not seen in more than a decade. “The city reportedly topped 500 homicides for the year over the long holiday weekend, a number reminiscent of the historic violence recorded in the 1990.” noted local NBC affiliate, Channel 5.

Using a multitiered plan, Emanuel said that he would in addition to hiring more police, would harness that to community-sensitive policing, tougher laws for repeat gun felons, and a big increase in spending for mentoring programs for at risk youth and improved economic opportunities, and resources, in minority neighborhoods, where much of the violence has taken place.

In one of his more dramatic lines, the 56 year-old mayor said, "At the end of the day," reading from prepared remarks, "we will be judged by one simple question: Can a mother in any neighborhood in Chicago send her children outside to play with peace of mind that they are safe? The city of Chicago is our home. The people of Chicago are our family."

Crain’s Chicago Business revealed that there had been leaks, before the speech, and one of them “was yesterday's announcement that, after years of resisting, Emanuel intends to add 1,000 sworn personnel to the Chicago Police Department over the next two years, beefing up not only street operations but the corps of detectives, mid level supervisors and department trainers.”

Herertofore, overtime had been the rule and the cost of $116 million, last year, proved to be as ineffective as it was expensive, for the department, as the violence increased along with the evening news showing keening mothers, grieving over the deaths of loved ones, often bystanders, as the unintended targets in gang warfare.

Emanuel did say that the Becoming a Man program would see an increase of $36 million over the next three years. This program, while widely praised, also plays into his remarks about the absent dads, the mayor says he has observed in trials. For this, he has received some criticism, from the black community, which saw them as biased.

“BAM has shown great success in reaching out to young minority men with counseling, mentoring, job training and other activities designed to keep them from gangs and guns. More than 7,000 young men will be reached, said Crain’s. Emanuel noted, that "the deck has been shuffled against our kids. Let's reshuffle the deck and put our kids on top."

The mayor’s critics have noted, both before, and after this speech, if he truly cared about minority kids so much, why did he close more than 50 schools in mostly black neighborhoods?

With the increasing gun violence, the mayor also stated that he wants to have  “law enforcement officials to crack down on gun stores, permitting them to inspect records, mandate safety measures and train store employees to detect traffickers.”

Yet, others, over the years, in previous mayoral administrations, as well as the National Rifle Association, have said they the guns used in most urban crimes are not purchased at gun shops, thus making legislative changes, a moot point.

With police abuse is running rampant across the country, including Chicago, Emanuel’s statement that “the overwhelming numbers of police officers in Chicago are doing good work under difficult conditions. They put their lives on the line every day in institutions none of us can fully comprehend or appreciate,” may not bode well, for him, considering the near erosion of trust between residents and police.

One program Community Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS)  which proved to be a watershed in improving police and community relations, especially in the 1980s and 1990s, was a recognized success.

As the Chicago Reader noted recently “through regular neighbourhood beat meetings and district advisory councils, CAPSA allowed police officers to work directly with community members to solve persistent problems like drugs and graffiti,” unfortunately had its budget cut, and reassigned to fight increasing violence in other parts of the city, by Mayor Richard M. Daley.

Emanuel continued the path towards financial insolvency and instituted programming changes, across districts, rather than police headquarters. All of which resulted in administrative isolation resulting in ineffectiveness; and making current meetings a mere shell of their former stronger selves.

Eddie Johnson, the new police superintendent has pledged that the program will be revitalized, but has been short on details. This may leave residents even more distrustful of the police, and its once successful program.

While the jury is still out on Emanuel’s proposals, many have said that it was a speech that should have been given years ago, still others say that it is not enough, and the shortage on specifics may renders it as more of a public relations effort. Others still note that conditions forced him to concede that his long allegiance to overtime was simply not working to stem the tide of violence, and that even now, the approach seems sporadic.

Skepticism greets Chicago mayor's intent to beef up police in wake of growing violence

Mayor Rahm Emanuel

Wednesday's announcement by Chicago Police Superintendent, Eddie Johnson, that the city would hire 500 new police officers was met with faint praise by some, and by many that it was not enough to stem the tide of violence that has resulted in more homicides than New York and Los Angeles combined.

The move is also a direct contradiction of the course followed by second term Rahm Emanuel, who felt that overtime, to the tune of $116 million in 2105, was the best way to balance the budget and the void of officers leaving by attrition, along with community policing. In fact, he had the support of now ousted predecessor to Johnson, Garry McCarthy.

Much of the city’s police procedures, including hiring, have changed since the shooting death of black teenager Laquan McDonald, by a white police officer, 16 times. Since that event there was the alleged suppression of the videotape, many of whom feel was a deliberate move by Emanuel, as he sought re election, against a viable contender; a first time for a mayoral run. Later the tape was ordered to be released by a local judge, and in a swift fall from grace, State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, lost her bid for reelection.

In the aftermath, there has been a Department of Justice investigation, and now a special grand jury appointed to determine any wrongdoing. With many residents alternating between anger against the alleged links between City Hall and the State’s Attorney office, the situation has further deteriorated with the uptick in crime.While mostly restricted to the South and West Sides, the city of Chicago, and Emanuel, have garnered national headlines.

Many community activists, and even some alderman, feel that any monies spent - and it’s not clear where the money will come from -- needs to be combined in a comprehensive manner for creating, and improving, neighborhood resources in the poor areas of the city, which have been most affected by the shootings.

The Rev. Gregory Livingston, president of The Coalition for a New Chicago, was perhaps the most vociferous in his condemnation of the proposed hirings, but also got personal with references to the advantages that the mayor’s own father gave him, to propel him upwards. Livingston also said, pointedly, that if the mayor could support a “Star Wars” museum, a reference to the now failed attempt by filmmaker George Lucas to establish a legacy museum, he could then work to avert “a crisis situation,” and one that needs not only improved schools, but a direct confrontation of the “root problems.”

Emanuel, also trying to keep a campaign promise for more officers, said, according to the Chicago Tribune, “It’s a complex problem with multidimensional facets to it," he said this month when noting he'd unveil a policing plan. "It's not just about more police, but it will include that. But it's also about more resources for our children, more resources for our neighborhoods and stiffer laws that reflect the values of our city."

Alderman Ray Lopez, in an appearance, noted that that the increase was a “step in the right direction,” but, like Livingston, wanted to see a collective and comprehensive move in providing increased resources and opportunity both as a deterrent, and also as a corrective, to prevent further violence. Adding that a “transformative effort” was needed, he said it was now “time to do it right.”

These problems, however, predate Emanuel, and are an unfortunate by product of long held citywide segregation, both residential and economic. All of which are the determinants in where a child can go to school, and what type of employment, as an adult, they may get. But, as has been said before, by many community leaders and residents, the time to begin is now.

Alluding to the racial strife between black residents and white policemen, and the arrests and deaths of those in custody, Bishop James Dykes noted that the “culture of disrespect, also ”needs to be addressed.”

If, and when, monies are found, the increases would reflect 516 patrol officers, 92 field training officers, 200 detectives, 112 sergeants, and 50 lieutenants, according to CPD. And, this would be over a 2 year period and not offering, an immediate solution, or alleviating the increase in shootings.

Costs for a first year hire would be $138,000 for the first year and after 5 years would increase to $180,000, and using the 500 figure would be $69 million in the first year and $90 million at year five. Other costs incurred would include hiring replacements for those officers that retire and and any secondary training needed.

While the mayor has said that there would be no increase in property, sales or gas taxes to pay for new officers, this does not rule out other forms of taxation, or fees.

Most of all the problem of illegal guns has to also be addressed, which has provided a long running script to Emanuel, as he faces mounting criticism of his handling, or mishandling, others say, of the violence.

Fr. Michael Pfleger, the pastor of St. Sabina Roman Catholic Church on the city’s South Side, and a long time advocate of gun control, as well as violence prevention said, to CNN: "We can't police our way out of this. If we don't also put the same kind of commitment to jobs, to economic development, housing, to good schools then, you know, we're going to find ourselves with the same problem we have right now.”

One of the more chilling statistics is that children under the age of 18 years old represent more than 3,000 of Chicago’s shooting victims.

In a press statement, Black Lives Matter Chicago noted that “The causes of crime and intra-communal violence exist because of the conditions of poverty that Rahm Emanuel has exacerbated for Chicago. More policing will not “fix” these conditions. What more policing will accomplish is more violence, more lock ups and more trauma for our already suffering communities.”

The mayor is expected to give a televised address on the city’s violence Thursday evening, where he will outline a comprehensive plan to curb it.

Chicago will have a special grand jury to investigate the Laquan McDonald shooting

LeRoy K. Martin, Jr.

Monday’s news that there would be a special grand jury convened to investigate a possible coverup by Chicago police in the shooting death of Laquan McDonald, was met with a volley of responses,  most of them positive; coming at a time when the tension between the police, and residents, not to mention City Hall, is at an all time low.

“Patricia Brown Holmes, the special prosecutor said Monday that she has enough evidence to present to a grand jury as she made her request that one be convened,” reported the Chicago Tribune.

The special grand jury is expected to be convened, by LeRoy K. Martin, Jr presiding judge of Cook County’s criminal division, in the next two weeks, to hear evidence, as it begins its task evaluating the accusations of a coverup. If there is probable cause, then indictment and prosecution will follow.

“The special grand jury — typically made up of 16 people — would be drawn from the pool of people regularly called to jury duty at the county's main criminal courthouse at 26th Street and California Avenue. By law, it must meet at least once a month, but its deliberations would be secret.” said the paper. And, it can take up to six months.

As part of their work, they have the right to request documents and interview witnesses, and, most importantly, be able to compel jurors to share any knowledge of criminal behavior that they might have.

Declaring that the public deserves oversight, especially considering the magnitude of the case, Holmes said, notably, “It’s fair and it’s impartial and it lends credibility to the process.”

It also might begin to offer a sense of closure and healing to a divided city, where black neighborhoods, and their residents, are treated differently by police. The Chicago case, as well as those in Baltimore and Philadelphia, has sparked a national conversation, on policing and racial bias, especially when it leads to death.

Past grand juries, for some, may evoke memories of the Watergate scandal, but the central concern now, among local activists, and concerned residents, is for lawful and effective policing to become the norm, and not the exception.

Some others want not only a determination of guilt, or innocence, but to also answer the age old question: “What did they know, and when did they know it.”

In addition, many faith leaders want, much like in post apartheid South Africa, an opportunity for truth and reconciliation, for a city whose legacy of racism looms large.

The case, and the pending special grand jury, undoubtedly will sharpen the moves of the “Black Lives Matter” movement, plus the counter movement of “White Lives Matter”, not to mention the assertions of racism in the presidential campaign of Donald Trump, now brought to the surface by the recent remarks of  Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, who last week bemoaned the “deplorables” among Trump supporters.

With Chicago also mired in debt over pension obligations, and issuing reams of regressive taxes, it seems as if they are battling on all fronts. But, the violence has also opened social and economic fissures, increasing regressive taxes, for garbage, and now, a new tax on water and sewer fees, passed in a lopsided vote by the City Council, on Wednesday. There are also concerns that this tax that might disproportionately affect many black residents, who disproportionately depend on coin operated laundries.

The police also have to deal with the burgeoning violence,especially, although not restricted to poor black neighborhoods on the city’s South and West sides where they have the ironic role of being both protector, and defendant.

To date, the number of shootings has exceeded 3,000. And, “with the weekend toll of eight killed and 35 wounded, Chicago surpassed another dreaded milestone in a year that has seen the worst violence in two decades. As of early Monday, at least 3,028 people had been shot, more than the 2,980 for all of 2015,” according to data collected by the Tribune.

Running parallel, to all of this, is the ongoing issue of black on black crime, which for some politicians, and community leaders, is the proverbial elephant in the room. Yet, as one clergy member told me, “It won’t be easy, but let’s start now,” to tackle the widespread violence that has pockmarked the nation’s third largest city.

Chicago will hire hundreds of new police, but no stated way to pay for them

Mayor Rahm Emanuel

Thursday’s announcement that Chicago would be hiring hundreds of new police officers was met with both surprise and delight by many concerned about the city’s increasing homicide rate.

Residents are shocked by last month’s record increase, the most violent in 20 years, with 67 people shot over one weekend, which resulted in 11 deaths; the news was welcomed by all - especially those concerned about public safety.

To see numbers this high, with homicides reaching 90, one has to go back to October of 1996, where the total was 85; in fact Chicago had more homicides and shootings than both New York and Los Angeles combined during a similar period.

So far this year there have been 487 homicides and more than 2800 people shot, with many occurring in broad daylight. On the North Side, a grandmother was shot while walking her dog, and a young man, believed to be in his early 30s was shot outside a social service agency, again on the North Side, in the Uptown neighborhood.

While these shootings have reflected the increasing gang violence, and the subjects were the unintended victims of bullets meant for other gang members, the damage is done to the city’s reputation, not to mention the loss of innocent lives.

The face of  gang violence has changed in this lakefront city, from inter gang to intra gang disputes, with many altercations having their origins on social media vehicles, such as Facebook, where taunts and insults are the norm, say police officials.

Now, they note that filling the void with overtime is no longer sustainable, despite a decades long habit. Recently the tab for overtime rang in at $116.1 million, up $17.2 million in 2014.

In contrast, and also recently,“Emanuel and his Budget Director Alex Holt have argued repeatedly that overtime is a more flexible and cost-effective substitute for police hiring because the city doesn’t have to bear the cost of pensions and benefits for new officers”, reported the Chicago Sun-Times.

In the past attrition was also used to balance the budget for what are known as 9161’s -- those officers that are the first responders. With often seemingly fuzzy math, those that were on medical leave, or disability, showed figures that were not wholly accurate in the police budget.

Now, this longstanding practice is supposedly ending, but on Friday when pressed to say exactly how many police would be hired, and how they would be paid for, Mayor Rahm Emanuel was mum, and according to the Chicago Sun-TImes, would only say, “The fact is, there are certain fiscal conditions that have improved in the city.” He was, according to some, referring to the boost in the city's financial health from the credit rating agency, Fitch, which just changed both their estimate, and outlook on Chicago, from negative to stable.

When pressed, the mayor would only say that he felt the need for a “comprehensive” strategy to curb gun violence,and that “if I put more officers on the street, and  we have same lax gun laws, you haven’t reached public safety.”

The day before, long time alderman, and council floor leader, Patrick O'Connor said, “It’s less of a change in strategy and more of a response to this incredible streak of gun violence. By doing this, we hope to begin to get control of the gun violence that seems to grow all the time,” he told the Sun-Times.

The biggest problem with this change of direction, for the cash strapped city, is how to pay for the officers. Also, in contrast, it seems that there was a distinct change in that endeavor within twenty-four hours, when previously it seemed that “wiggle room” had been found.  O’Connor also refused to say how the additional officers would be paid for. He did suggest that recent moves to shore up funds for outstanding pension funds had helped with this decision.

In 2015, the City Council approved a $588 million property tax increase for police and fire pensions and school construction. And, just last week, “Emanuel’s hand picked Board of Education signed off on a $250 million property tax increase for teacher pensions.”

In addition, “On Sept. 14, the City Council will be asked to put the final piece of the pension puzzle in place — by approving Emanuel’s plan to slap a 29.5 percent tax on water and sewer bills to save the Municipal Employees pension fund, the largest of the city’s four pension funds.”

“If the aldermen have the courage to pass the water tax, there’ll be resources to do the things the aldermen and the mayor want to do” such as  hire more police officers, said O’Connor.

Water taxes are not new as a source of revenue, for Chicago, and O’Connor had even asked churches, three years ago, to pay for their own water; with attendant complaints from the Catholic Church, who were met with his saucy comeback that they should attend to their own business, and tackle the continued fallout from the priest sex abuse scandal.

Of course, all of this comes in the aftermath of the Laquan McDonald case where the black teen was shot 16 times by a white officer as he walked away. With the video tape being suppressed, until after Emanuel’s re-election bid, and with the aid of State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, there were public cries for the mayor’s resignation, a successful effort to vote Alvarez out of office, and also a Department of Justice investigation.

Now comes a three tiered effort at reform with a replacement for the so-called Independent Police Review Authority that did less at review, and more at keeping the status quo of officers always being in the right, even when evidence showed otherwise.

Right out of the gate, the plan has problems with the newly proposed Civil Office of Police Accountability, lacking its own independent counsel, and having to rely on the city’s law department “that defends police officers and negotiates the police contract.”

Adding to the problematic mix is the lack of a budget that would hamstring even the best of intentions, but mostly, no significant change, says University of Chicago law professor Craig Futterman, who called all of this a “recipe for failure.”

He also remarked “To fix what needs to be fixed, it takes resources. You need a floor of at least 1.5 percent of the Police Department budget,” more than twice the budget of the current IPRA.

Mostly, Futterman notes that there must be a complete withdrawal from the influence and actions of City Hall. And, he has the support of the current IPRA chief Sharon Fairley who will serve as the interim first administrator. She says, “I believe that the new civilian oversight agency should have independent legal oversight of the the matters that fall within the agency’s jurisdiction from start to finish.”

In the background is the historical racial divide that has long been in the city. As Tribune Editorial Board member Steve Chapman wrote: “The biggest source of racial tension is also the oldest one — the divide between whites and blacks, manifested in economic disparities and broadly different views of law enforcement. Most whites express confidence in police, but only 30 percent of African-Americans share that trust. Though blacks continue to feel they face discrimination, most whites believe they don't.”

Without efforts to address this, as well, Emanuel’s efforts are doomed to fail.

LaRaviere resignation is symptomatic of Chicago's public school problems

Troy LaRaviere

When embattled Chicago’s Blaine Elementary School principal Troy LaRaviere resigned Tuesday, and posted his resignation on his blog, he not only removed himself from the line of fire in an administrative hearing for alleged ethics violation and insubordination, but also threw down the gauntlet in a charged battle to try and fix the nation’s third largest school system.

While many observers have noted the politicization of education, across the country, they also have seen a near collapse of Chicago’s public schools as it deals with a massive deficit, junk bond rating and a threatening teachers strike looming on the horizon.

What LaRaviere resignation revealed - at least publicly - is what many have complained about for decades: mind numbing paperwork, lack of accountability and best practices to create and nurture the type of educated resident that its self-proclaimed label of “world class city”, it has often touted.

With an enrollment just under 900, Blaine was recognized by Chicago Magazine in 2010 as the 16th best elementary school in the city, and also the 6th best “neighborhood school.” But there were obstacles he said that prevented it from reaching the number one slot. And, in this struggle, public enemy number one, at least according to him, is Mayor Rahm Emanuel, whose tenure has been marked by what he has often failed to do: keep city schools open in neighborhoods that need them and shore up the finances and the physical plant required for daily instruction.

When Emanuel closed over 50 schools in predominantly African American and Hispanic neighborhoods, the largest in Chicago history, the hue and cry that emanated from residents, politicos and administrators was deafening.

Citing politics as his nemesis as he turned around Blaine during his five year tenure, LaRaviere also noted, in his resignation, the fingerprints of the mayor, when he said ,“In a word, the biggest obstacle to Blaine becoming the #1 neighborhood school in Chicago was politics. And while many people contributed to this problem, nobody in our great city is more responsible for that political obstruction than you.”  

While the mayor has touted charter schools as having the best test scores, the opposite has been true, and the former principal  has “published research that revealed public schools produced significantly more academic growth in students than charter schools; exposed filthy conditions in Chicago schools that were the result of botched custodial privatization deal; and uncovered the manipulation of charter school test score data by CPS officials.”

As can be imagined, his outspokenness, his disdain for the mayor, cost him points at City Hall. Equally damning was his support for mayoral rival Jesus “Chuy” Garcia who forced Emanuel into a runoff, in the recent mayoral election, a first for the city and produced a nervous incumbent who had to work hard to stay in office.

LaRaviere’s support for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders also cost him dearly, with the mayor and the Illinois School Board of Education, who felt that these activities were an ethics violation. But, his real sin may have been giving voice to many that the “emperor has no clothes,” and as recent headlines have shown, financial mismanagement has stripped CPS of both its clout and its seaworthiness.

In a recent move the Chicago Board of Education in a 6-0 vote agreed to pass a $5.4 billion public schools budget for 2017, that, at its core, relies on aid from the Illinois State legislature, to the tune of $215 million; and is dependent on lawmakers agreeing to pension reform, plus more accrued borrowing at $94.5 million, and still another increase in property taxes.

Adding fuel to an existent fire is the “request” that Chicago teachers pay more towards their pension, an effort that the teachers and their union have fought against, since it was negotiated in lieu of a raise, back during the Harold Washington administration.

A recent “financial analysis prepared for the Board of Education, the district’s pension costs are projected to increase 32% over seven years, but the debt service on borrowed money is projected to increase 350%.”

In all, the budget is dependent more on hope than reality. As Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation has said: “This is a very expensive budget, at the mercy of the CTU on the concessions, at the mercy of the Legislature on what pension reform would look like and what the governor would accept — and then they still need everything to break right.”

With such observations the LaRaviere objections have more than a ring of truth; CBE is looking to obtain $945 million in borrowing for capital projects,  without any long-term capital improvement plan, with a budget that becomes self-defeating by accounting standards. But, spokesperson Emily Bittner insisted still that “CPS’ revenues match expenditures, and expenditures are down $232 million from FY16.”

Into what many are calling a morass, LaRaviere’s departure was seen as inevitable, especially since he was one of the few voices that objected to the $20 million “no bid” contract negotiated by the now disgraced school CEO Barbara Boyd Bennett from her former employer, SUPES academy, for teacher training.

One remedy than many CPS critics have wanted is an elected school board to replace the handpicked one, currently in existence. Last fall, local lawmakers held a series of town hall style meetings to address the concern and the mounting debt that had cost many schools, staff reductions and program cuts, and what was thought to be at least $8.7 million in looming cuts.

Chicago Teachers Union Kurt Hilgendorf, noted at one of those meetings, that in the advisory referendum in the last election, 37 wards voted for an elected school board, “more than for Rahm Emanuel [to remain in office].” He also noted that Chicago’s appointed board had been in place since 1995, and that it “is bad for policymaking,” and “has limited participation for parents,” but is ultimately “bad for policymaking,” especially with “the rapid decline in neighborhood school enrollment,” which are being drained by the charter schools favored by the board.

Opinions do vary for an elected school board, and former Alderman Dick SImpson, now an associate professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Chicago, in 2012 commented in an article for the Chicago Journal: “An elected school board would get the voice of citizens between the near dictatorial control of Mayor Emanuel and opposition by the Chicago Teacher's Union. We citizens pay for the school system and we parents depend upon the system to educate our children. We should have a voice separate from the mayor's that can provide a check and balance to both the mayor and the union.”

That withstanding, an elected board is not a perfect panacea, especially for quick solutions for CPS indebtedness, and Simpson concluded that, “on balance we need a positive start [towards change] and no solution, no financial solution, or representation problem can be solved easily.”

Adding to the mix is a racial component that has a system that is mostly African American and Hispanic and an elected board  Simpson noted this three years ago, with a then 90 percent, and greater makeup. Thus a citywide elected board could tip heavily in favor of whites, and disenfranchise students of color; but the move now leans towards a proposed district election rather than citywide.

In May LaRaviere accepted the presidency of the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association, a position where he will undoubtedly continue to wield influence and judgement on his shared vision of  what  Chicago Public Schools, can, and should be.