Chicago Student Killings Spark Appeals to Obama

CHICAGO -- Community activists here are calling on President Barack Obama to address inner-city violence after a sharp increase in the number of killings of school-age children.

Total homicides in Chicago are down but with three weeks before the summer vacation, the city has tallied 37 killings of public-school children since fall, compared with 21 homicides during the 2007-08 school year. By contrast, 23 students have been killed this school year in Los Angeles, which enrolls nearly twice as many children in public schools.

Most of the Chicago victims were black and Latino students who lived on the city's south and west sides. None were killed in school.

Mark Allen, who helped teach Mr. Obama how to organize communities 20 years ago, is joining other activists in calling on the president to show the same passion he brought to the issue as a young man.

"He's not the same Barack," said Mr. Allen, a 47-year-old community activist. "He's not doing what he said he would do when we were walking the streets together and talking about what we would do if we were in charge."

About two-thirds of the city's homicides this year have been drug- or gang-related, according to police. But students are getting caught in the crossfire, along with cases of mistaken identity.

Many of the community activists who worked alongside Mr. Obama in years past are calling for stricter gun control, more money for gang intervention and summer jobs programs, as well as a presidential summit.

"When the swine flu came up, it was a national priority and every governor, every mayor, every school board was talking about it in 24 hours," said Rev. Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Roman Catholic Church on Chicago's South Side. "People are dying and he needs to use his bully pulpit to get this moving."

Mr. Obama's senior adviser Valerie Jarrett says the president is trying to jump-start the economy with his stimulus plan, "which will do more to combat the crime problem then just about anything else." The stimulus money contains "an unprecedented level of support" for law enforcement as well as a broad array of programs aimed at keeping children safe, she said.

"But the people have to take ownership too and be willing to report crimes, and when they see them, to testify," Ms. Jarrett said. "This is a partnership."

I was being ugly.

I grew up in Atlanta during the missing and murdered kid saga in the early 80s. I will never forget the feelings of panic and helplessness that every black person felt, especially black parents, during that time.

I am incredibly sympathetic to the Chicago community and can understand their desperation. But I'm not sure exactly what it is that they want Obama to DO here. Jarrett's comments are right, but we know her answer of stimulus money and "personal accountability" won't go well with folks there. And if Obama did exert an unusual amount of interest and activity towards Chicago, what about the other parts of America where black and brown people are being slaughtered? Does it not occur to activists like Mr. Allen that Obama's enemies (which seem to be growing by the damn day) would LEAP at the chance to accuse the President of favoritism?

Obama is even hearing pleas from people in other countries with non-white populations that somehow he should "do more" to help them because he too is not white. Every president has an immense burden, but there is no way anyone could convince me that Obama's burden is not at least TWICE that of every white president we've had. I would not trade places with him for anything on this earth!

You stated exactly what I feel without the attitude I had. What the heck is he supposed to do? Giving a speech won't mean jack if the people that need to hear it aren't listening. Give the man a break.

People really believe he is the magic negro. :eyes:

DU would make Gandhi cuss and Mother Theresa bust a cap in somebody's ass...

:rofl:

full. I knew some stupid fuck was going to say this kind of stuff before it was over. I'm surprised it took this long.

tell your kids to cut off the tv or do their homework." Whenever he talked about parenting, I knew what he was getting at. I don't understand why people do this kind of stuff. He is supposed to fix the world, all by himself.

I think the slogan was "Yes WE Can" not "Yes, Obama Can, and will, no need for you to do nothing"

Ugh...

I knew some stupid fuck was going to say this kind of stuff before it was over.

:thumbsup: :rofl: