PERFORMANCES AND COMMUNITY
ACTIVITIES.
>> WELL, CHICAGO IS SEEING MORE
VIOLENCE THAN IT DID IN 2020
ALTHOUGH HOMICIDES HAVE TAILED
OFF RECENTLY AFTER A SPIKE
EARLIER THIS YEAR.
JUST LAST WEEKEND MORE THAN 48
PEOPLE WERE SHOT, INCLUDING A
TWO-YEAR-OLD GIRL, A 13-YEAR-OLD
BOY, AND TWO CHICAGO POLICE
OFFICERS.
AND MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND IS
AROUND THE CORNER WHICH IS A
NOTORIOUSLY VIOLENT TIME IN THE
CITY.
JOINING US TO DISCUSS THIS IS
BENNETH LEE A CRIMINAL JUSTICE
STUDENTS ININSTRUCTOR AT
NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
AND COFOUNDER OF THE EMPOWERMENT
FOR THE FORMERLY INCARS RAISED
AND A FORMER GANG MEMBER.
AND CIERA BATES-CHAMBERLAIN,
WELCOME BOTH OF YOU TO "CHICAGO
TONIGHT."
WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE
NUMBERS THIS YEAR, SOME
CATEGORIES OF CRIME ARE DOWN BUT
MURDER IS UP 22% FROM LAST YEAR.
>> THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT
CAUSE VIOLENCE IS THERE ANYTHING
YOU COULD ATTRIBUT A SPIKE THIS
YEAR TO?
>> I WILL SAY ONE WE KNOW THE
CAUSE OF VIOLENCE, RACISM,
POVERTY AND NEGLECT.
BUT WITH COVID-19 WE KNOW THAT
LIKE BLACK COMMUNITIES WERE
REALLY HIT DISPROPORTIONATELY
HIT BY COVID-19 SO THE TRAUMA OF
THAT WAS PUT ON BLACK
COMMUNITIES THROUGH COVID-19
JUST EXACERBATED THE GUN
VIOLENCE.
AND NOT ONLY JUST THE TRAUMA BUT
AGAIN WHEN YOU ARE CONTINUALLY
NEGLECTING COMMUNITIES THEY
DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO COPE
THROUGH OTHER PANDEMICS, THIS
WAS A SOMETHING JUST WAITING TO
COLLIDE.
I WILL ATTRIBUT ALL OF THOSE
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO WHY
VIOLENCE INCREASED.
>> AND BENNETH LEE WE'VE HEARD
REPORTS IN THE LAST SEVERAL
MONTHS ABOUT RETALIATORY
SHOOTINGS.
WE HAVE KIDS GETTING SHOT.
AS YOUNG AS INFANTS GETTING
CAUGHT UP IN CROSSFIRE.
DO YOU SEE THIS AS MOSTLY GANG
ACTIVITY?
OR INTERPERSONAL ACTIVITY?
>> MOSTLY INTERPERSONAL
ACTIVITY.
YOU MAY HAVE A GUY THAT IS PART
OF A STREET GANG BUT HAVE A
PERSONAL VENDETTA AGAINST
ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL.
AND THEN HE RETALIATES MIGHT
COME OUT BECAUSE THE PERSON WAS
GANG AFFILIATED THEY SAY IT'S
GANG-RELATED.
I DON'T THINK THESE ARE
SHOOTINGS THAT A GANG SAME
TOGETHER AND SAID WE'RE GOING TO
DO THIS AND MOVE TOGETHER.
IT IS A LOT OF PEOPLE JUST DON'T
KNOW HOW TO GO TO ANOTHER PERSON
AND SAY I NEED TO TALK WITH YOU,
LET'S WORK THIS OUT.
EVERYBODY AFRAID OF EACH OTHER.
I AM AFRAID OF WHAT THE NEXT MAN
MIGHT DO SO I WILL DO IT BEFORE
THEY DO IT TO ME.
AND PEOPLE ARE AFRAID TO
COMMUNICATE.
MORE INDIVIDUAL VERSUS GANGS
DOING THE SHOOTINGS.
>> RIGHT YOU WERE ON THE SHOW
SAYING THAT PEOPLE DON'T FEEL
SAFE MORE NOW THAN IN YEARS
PRIOR.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT POLICE
SUPERINTENDENT DAVID BROWN HAD
TO SAY ABOUT THE ESCALATING
VIOLENCE YESTERDAY.
>> SO WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS
PROCEED WITH ALL HANDS ON DECK
DURING THE PEAK HOURS WHEN ALL
OF WHAT WE THINK WILL HAPPEN.
THINK ABOUT THE LAST GLOBAL
PANDEMIC WE HAD IN THIS COUNTRY.
WHAT FOLLOWED WAS THE ROARING
20s.
AND YOU KNOW I DON'T KNOW IF
YOU'VE READ F SCOTT FITZGERALD'S
THE GREAT GATSBY.
ALL THAT EMERGENCY BECAUSE WE
HAVE BEEN QUARANTINED EXPLODES
WITH PEOPLE BEING OUT AND MORE
PEOPLE BEING ACTIVE IN THE
OUTDOORS, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE
IT'S SAFE.
>> A LOT OF FOLKS WARY OF THE
COMING SUMMER MONTHS.
CIERA BATES-CHAMBERLAIN THE
MAYOR SAID THERE WOULD BE
200,000 OPPORTUNITIES SUMMER
JOBS OR RECREATION FOR YOUTH.
DO YOU THINK THAT IS ENOUGH TO
TAMP DOWN WHAT TYPICALLY IS A
SPIKE IN VIOLENCE IN THE SUMMER
MONTHS AS KIDS ARE NOT IN
SCHOOL?
>> NO.
THAT IS NOT ENOUGH.
IT WASN'T ENOUGH IN PREVIOUS
YEARS IN WE HEARD HE NAMED THE
NUMBERS WHERE WE'RE UP 22% IN
HOMICIDES IN SHOOTINGS, AND SO
THERE NEEDS TO BE A LARGE
INVESTMENT IN COMPREHENSIVE
STRATEGIES IN ADDRESSING GUN
VIOLENCE.
DOING THE BARE MINIMUM OR
BUSINESS AS USUAL IS NOT
ACCEPTABLE AND THERE MUST BE A
LARGER INVESTMENT AND WE KNOW
THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES THAT
PRESENT ITSELF ESPECIALLY WITH
THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN DOLLARS
WHERE THERE'S FUNDING AVAILABLE
TO INVEST IN STREET OUTREACH,
HOSPITAL BASED INTERVENTION,
TRAUMA SERVICES, SERVICES WITH
BLACK AND BROWN CLINICIANS THERE
IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY MAKE
A SERIOUS INVESTMENT IN REDUCING
VIOLENCE IN THIS CRITICAL
MOMENT.
>> ALL THOSE WRAP AROUND
SERVICES NOT JUST JOBS OR
RECREATION BUT MENTAL HEALTH AND
VIOLENCE INTERVENTION AND
BENNETH LEE THAT IS PART OF WHAT
YOU DO.
THE U OF C CRIME LAB PUT OUT A
REPORT SAYING MORE PEOPLE ARE
CARRYING FIREARMS.
THAN YEARS PAST IT KEEPS GOING
UP.
DOES THAT SQUARE WITH WHAT
YOU'RE SEEING MORE PEOPLE IN
POSSESSION OF WEAPONS?
>> YES, ESPECIALLY YOUNG PEOPLE.
THE YOUNG PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY
DON'T HAVE THE MEANS TO
LEGITIMATELY GET A FORD CARD OR
GET CONCEAL CARRY BUT THEY CARRY
THE GUN THE SAME REASON WHY A
REGULAR CITIZEN WILL CARRY A GUN
PROTECT THEMSELVES AFRAID THEY
MAY GET VICTIMIZED.
YOU GOT THE YOUNG PEOPLE GETTING
THE GUNS ILLEGAL BECAUSE THEY
CAN'T LEGALLY GET A FOID CARD
BUT WHEN THEY GET CAUGHT WITH A
GUN, THEY GET PENALIZED.
THERE IS A LOT OF FEAR OUT THERE
WITH PEOPLE WORKING GOD FEARING
PEOPLE IS AFRAID.
THEY ARE GETTING GUNS TO CARRY.
SO IS THE YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEY
ARE THE TARGET BECAUSE THEIR
PEERS ARE GETTING SHOT AND PEERS
ARE DOING THE SHOOTING.
SO THEY ARE MORE AFRAID THAN THE
REGULAR CITIZEN SO THEY ARE
GETTING THE GUNS.
>> REVEREND CIERA
BATES-CHAMBERLAIN DO YOU HEAR
THAT THAT THEY ARE AFRAID AND
FEEL THEY NEED TO ARM TO JUST
STAY ALIVE SOMETIMES?
>> I MEAN, I HEAR THAT FROM
YOUNG PEOPLE AND I HEAR THAT
FROM ADULTS.
I MEAN WE KNOW THAT FROM THE
COVID NUMBERS THERE WAS AN
INCREASE IN GUN SALES AND
AMMUNITION.
YOU HAVE A COMMUNITY FLOODED
WITH FIREARMS AND THERE IS FOLKS
FEEL UNSAFE.
IF EVERYDAY PEOPLE WERE GOING
OUT AND PURCHASE CHATSING
FIREARMS, WHY ARE BLACK AND
BROWN COMMUNITIES SCRUTINIZED
AND FEELING UNSAFE IN THEIR
COMMUNITIES AS WELL.
>> WE MENTIONED MEMORIAL CAN BE
A VIOLENT WEEKEND AS ARE HOLIDAY
WEEKENDS IN THE SUMMER.
WE HEAR ABOUT POLICE STRATEGIES
BUT THEY NEVER SEEM TO DO
ANYTHING.
IS THERE ANY STRATEGY THAT CAN
TAMP DOWN A VIOLENT WEEKEND OR
IS THIS GOING TO KEEP HAPPENING
UNTIL THE BROADER ISSUES ARE
SOLVED?
>> I THINK WE PUT TOO MUCH ON
THE POLICE TO CALM THIS DOWN.
THIS HAS TO COME FROM THE
COMMUNITY, THE FAMILIES,
BROTHERS GOT THESE RELATIONSHIPS
LIKE MYSELF, THAT YOU MENTOR I
WAS A FORMER GANG LEADER.
I DO MY PART GOING BACK INTO THE
NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE I COME FROM
AND BUILDING A RELATIONSHIP WITH
THE LITTLE BROTHERS BECAUSE I
BELIEVE THE MORE THEY TALK TO
EACH OTHER IT WILL BE HARDER TO
SHOOT EACH OTHER AND MORE APT TO
WORK THINGS OUT.
IT HAS TO COME FROM THE
COMMUNITY WE CAN'T PUT IT ALL ON
THE POLICE.