WHY THE CHICAGO MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL WALK OUT ON CHANCE WHO
ATTENDED A CITY COUNCIL MEETING?
I'M NOT SURE.
LET'S BREAK THIS DOWN FOR YOU.
YOU MAY NOTE CHANCE IS A GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING ARTIST, BUT ALSO A
CIVIC LEE ENGAGED CHICAGOEAN.
YEARS EVEN GIVEN HIS OWN MONEY INTO PUBLIC EDUCATION.
WHEN HE ATTENDED A CITY COUNCIL MEETING HE WAS THERE TO OPPOSE
RAHM EMANUEL'S EFFORTS TO ñ
>> I GUESS THE MAYOR HAD TO STEP OUT WHEN I CAME UP.
THAT MEANS I GET TO TALK TO YOU HAS NOW.
I THINK YOU GUYS ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE WORK I'VE BEEN DOING.
THANK YOU GUYS.
THIS IS RIGHT DOWN THE STREET FROM WHERE THE PROPOSED
POLICE ACADEMY WILL BE OUT.
WITH JUST $100,000 IN THREE YEARS IS ABOUT TO MAKE SOMETHING
TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGES.
IT WOULD BE AWESOME THOUGH IF WE COULD GET THEM COMPUTERS AT
THEIR SCHOOL OR A LIBRARY, OR A MUSEUM, OR ANY OF THE THINGS
THAT WE HAVE PROPOSED IN THE BUDGET FOR THIS $95
MILLION COP ACADEMY.
IT IS A VERY SIMPLE THING YOU GUYS HAVE TO DO.
WE SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT FINANCIALLY THIS PROPOSED
PLAN DOESN'T MAKE SENSE, WILL HAVE $95 MILLION.
WE ARE JUST ASKING YOU FOR $10 MILLION TODAY TO PURCHASE LAND,
BUT WE DON'T HAVE THE REST OF THE MONEY SO WHY LET THEM GO
AHEAD WITH THIS RIGHT NOW?
THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT
SERVICES THAT NEED HELP ñ MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, OBVIOUSLY
SCHOOLS IS MY BIG THING.
BUT THERE IS A LOT OF WAYS TO
TRANSFORM THE CITY THAT
HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH POLICE TRAINING.
>> TO PROVIDE MORE CONTEXT TO WHAT CHANCE IS REFERRING TO
ñ BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SAYING THAT FINANCIALLY THE PLAN
DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.
THAT IS WHAT CHANCE WAS THERE TO PROTEST.
THERE'S A LOT GOING ON HERE.
I'M JUST CURIOUS AS TO WHY THE MAYOR STEPPED OUT WHEN PERHAPS
HIS MOST CIVIC LEE AND PUBLICLY ENGAGED CITIZEN TOOK THE MIC.
WHAT YOU THINK WAS HAPPENING?
>> FULL DISCLOSURE THIS IS WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT TODAY ON
BREAKDOWN.
IT IS A VERY INTERESTING STORY, KIND OF LIKE A MICROCOSM OF WHAT
IS GOING ON IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND HOW THEY ARE
UNDERFUNDED CONSISTENTLY ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
AND HOW WE DEAL WITH CERTAIN PROBLEMS THAT ARISE IN
THOSE COMMUNITIES.
LET'S START FROM THE TOP.
FIRST OF ALL, RAHM EMANUEL ñ CHANCE THE RAPPER'S DAD
WAS RAHM EMANUEL'S TOP AIDE UNTIL RECENTLY.
SO THEIR CONNECTION RUNS DEEP, BUT ASIDE FROM THAT THEY HAVE
HAD AN ONGOING CONVERSATION AND I THINK BECAUSE CHANCES SUCH A
GOOD GUY AND HAS DONE SO MUCH FOR CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS ñ HE
HAS RAISED $2.2 MILLION IN THE PAST YEAR ALONE FOR THE ARTS
PROGRAMS.
IT IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR RAHM TO GENUINELY FAITH HIM AND SAY
WE NEED MORE POLICING IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.
ESPECIALLY AS A DEMOCRATIC MAYOR.
LET ME GIVE YOU GUYS SOME FACTS.
$95
MILLION IS THE COST OF THIS FIRE AND POLICE TRAINING ACADEMY.
CHICAGO CURRENTLY HAS A MASSIVE PROBLEM ñ
THERE ARE A LOT OF POLICE THAT ARE LEAVING THE FORCE, SOME
ARE RETIRED OTHERS THAT ARE BEING FIRED.
THEY NEED TO MAKE IT AS SEXY AS POSSIBLE TO BECOME A POLICE
OFFICER.
THEY ARE STARTING THIS IN THE WEST SIDE, WHICH IS A
PROBLEMATIC NEIGHBORHOOD.
THEY SOLD ñ I WANT TO GIVE YOU THE EXACT DETAIL ñ
THEY SOLD THE RIVER SITE TO PRIVATE INDUSTRY TO ACCUMULATE
FUNDS, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE 95 MILLION, THEY ONLY HAVE 20.
10 OF WHICH WAS ALLOCATED TO THE LAND TO PUT THIS FIRE AND POLICE
ACADEMY ON.
CHANCE WAS ARGUING THAT WITH HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS ACROSS
THE STREET WE MAY TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGES IN THE SCHOOL ALONE.
BECAUSE CERTAIN SOCIAL BUDGETS ARE SO UNDERFUNDED HOW ARE YOU
GOING TO JUSTIFY A $95 MILLION POLICE ACADEMY WHEN WE DON'T
HAVE THE REST OF THE MONEY TO EVEN BUILD THE POLICE ACADEMY?
WHY DO WE TAKE THESE FUNDS AND REDISTRIBUTE THEM BACK INTO
SOCIAL PROGRAMS THAT DESPERATELY NEED THEM?
CHICAGO ACTUALLY HAD
TO BORROW $275 MILLION RECENTLY BECAUSE THEY HAVE A MASSIVE
PENSION PROBLEM, THEY CAN'T PAY PENSIONS OFFER TEACHERS AND THEN
ON TOP OF THAT STILL HAVE ñ
BE ABLE TO FUND THEIR SCHOOLS PROPERLY.
THERE IS CURRENTLY A CASE WHERE CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS
ARE ONLY GETTING 15% OF THE STATE BUDGET.
BUT THEY ACTUALLY HOST 20% OF THE SCHOOL ELIGIBLE YOUTH.
THEY BELIEVE IT IS OBVIOUSLY A LITTLE BIT RACIST BECAUSE 90% OF
THE CPS IS STUDENTS OF COLOR.
>>MARK, WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE?
>> THIS IS INTERESTING STUFF BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHANCE, HIS FATHER AND THE MAYOR.
THE COPS AND HELPING AND FUND THEM, THAT IS GOOD POLITICS FOR
RAHM EMANUEL, AND THAT'S THE REASON I SUSPECT HE
GRAVITATED TOWARDS THAT SOLUTION.
CLEARLY CHANCE IS RIGHT, THAT IS WHERE THE MONEY SHOULD GO INTO
SOCIAL PROGRAMS AND ALL THESE PROGRAMS, PARTICULARLY IF
THEY DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO ACTUALLY STEP OUT WITH THE
REST OF THE PLAN.
I DID NOT KNOW CHANCE THE RAPPER HAD CONTRIBUTED SO
MUCH OF HIS OWN MONEY TO THESE MANY PROGRAMS IN CHICAGO.
THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED, UNLIKE TRUMP WHERE HE SAYS HE
WROTE THE CHECK.
I THINK THE CHICAGO MAYOR PULLED AWAY BECAUSE HE PROBABLY
COULDN'T FACE THE MUSIC AND HE POLITICALLY MADE A DECISION
THAT IS ALL ABOUT POLITICS AND LESS ABOUT HELPING HIS CITY.
>>THEY STILL VOTED OVERWHELMINGLY IN FAVOR.
48 TO 1 WAS THE FINAL COUNT AND THEY ARE STILL GOING FORWARD
WITH THIS PROGRAM.
BY THE WAY RAHM EMANUEL'S REACTION WAS THAT HE HAD TO
STEP OUT TO CALL HIS MOTHER AND CONGRATULATE HER FOR HER
85TH BIRTHDAY.
SO WHEN THEY FURTHER ASKED WHY THEY ARE STILL GOING ON WITH THE
FUNDING OF THE POLICE ACADEMY HE SAID IT WILL HELP THE ECONOMY OF
THE WESTSIDE BECAUSE OF THE OVERWHELMING AMOUNT OF
CANDIDATES AND POLICE THAT ARE GOING TO BE IN THAT
NEIGHBORHOOD AND WILL SUPPLY THE LOCAL ECONOMY IN WAYS THAT
WE CAN FORESEE YET, AND ALSO IT WILL PROVIDE A SENSE OF SAFETY.
COMMUNITY POLICING IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT AND THERE ARE PLENTY
OF STUDIES THAT BACK THIS UP.
OVERALL I DON'T THINK IT IS AS NEFARIOUS.
THIS IS NOT AN AWFUL IDEA VERSUS WHAT CHANCE IS SAYING IS A
MUCH BETTER IDEA.
I THINK TRAINING IS INCREDIBLY NECESSARY AND VITAL IN MOST
INSTANCES.
ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE ABLE TO BRING SOME OF THESE YOUTH FROM
CERTAIN NEIGHBORHOODS TO GO AND POLICE THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS.
IN THE END IF YOU HAVE ACTUAL BLACK AND BROWN COPS POLICING
THEIR OWN NEIGHBORHOODS, THAT IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION?
>>I
WOULD SAY THAT IS TRUE, PROBABLY A LOT OF WHAT THE CHICAGO
MAYOR SAYS IS ACCURATE AND IT WILL HELP THE AREA ECONOMICALLY.
IS ALSO TRUE THAT THEY HAVE A REAL PROBLEM WITH CHICAGO
COPS AND THESE INCIDENTS THAT SEEM TO BE RACIALLY MOTIVATED.
YOU CAN'T JUST PRETEND THAT IT'S NOTHING.
YOU DO NEED TO RETRAIN COPS.
IS NOT EXACTLY A SITUATION WHICH IS CLEAR-CUT.
HAVING SAID THAT, IT DOES APPEAR THAT ñ I WAS UNAWARE OF ALL THE
STUFF THAT CHANCE THE RAPPERKNOWS ABOUT THIS
COMMUNITY AND I SUGGEST HIS RECOMMENDATIONS ARE SOUND.
>> IT IS FRUSTRATING AS A PUBLIC SERVANT TO WALK OUT BECAUSE
YOU KNOW IT WILL PUT YOU IN A TRICKY SPOT.
I AM DISAPPOINTED IN THAT.
EVEN IF YOU DISAGREE, YOU ARE A PUBLIC SERVANT, ENGAGE WITH
YOUR CITIZENS, THAT IS THE LEAST YOU CAN DO?
>>ONE CHARITY I THINK IS AMAZING SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO THIS
ñ OBVIOUSLY CHANCE HAS HIS OWN CHARITY WHICH IS GREAT.
YOU CAN GOOGLE IT.
BUT THE ONE I WANT TO TALK ABOUT IS ON THE BLOCK OR, MOTHERS
AGAINST SENSELESS KILLING MASS.
IT IS MOTHERS SITTING ON THE BLOCK WITH YOUTHS AND
TRYING TO UPLIFT THEIR COMMUNITIES.
THEY HAVE SOIR…ES.
GO DONATE SOME MONEY, CHECK THEM OUT.
I REMEMBER LISTENING TO THE FOUNDER AND IT WAS SO
IMPACTFUL THAT IT STUCK WITH ME.
MOTHERS AGAINST SENSELESS KILLING ñ ONTHEBLOCK.ORG.