Members of the U.S. Army National Guard B Company 711 (AP Photo, Michelle Rolls-Thomas)
Mayor Daley is opposed to the idea of bringing in the National Guard to deter Chicago violence. Governor Pat Quinn is also hesitant to bring in the National Guard, stating that they're trained for military missions. But if the National Guard really comes to high-crime areas in Chicago, will crime stop or will it just move to a different area the same way that the Taste of Chicago 2008 shooting happened?
Every year, I go to the Taste of Chicago on July 3rd to see the fireworks. I remember going to the Taste of Chicago in 2008 and watching officers locked, loaded, with smug "I dare you to act crazy" looks on their faces. I watched some of the most hardcore guys carefully walk by, not quite scared of the officers with their weapons out but definitely guarded. After the fireworks were over around 10 p.m., the crowd immediately headed to the exit. My mother and I glanced at the officers lined up by the exit. Young men who were previously loud, cursing and jumping around walked by them as calm as library patrons.
For one moment I thought maybe Chicago would have a peaceful day. I figured nobody would be idiotic enough to start shooting with these officers lined up around Grant Park. No such luck. Around 10:40 p.m., after the fireworks, I saw police cars swirling down State Street headed in the direction of Van Buren. Two shootings happened, one at Dearborn and Van Buren and the other at Clark and Van Buren. Both victims were taken to Northwestern Hospital and a weapon was recovered. Regardless of the turnout, criminals sent a clear message that no matter how many cops are in the area, that's not going to stop them from committing crimes. So what would bringing the National Guard in during 2010 do?
I'm still 50/50 on this decision. What I don't want to happen is to have troops come in and start blasting innocent kids who are wannabe thugs trying to fit in but really harmless. Call it naive, but there are plenty of guys who fit into this category. Some are misguided. Some are just following behind their friends. Some have joined gangs simply because they got tired of being beaten up by both sides of their neighborhoods. All the after-school programs in the world can't stop the mailbox hugger on the corner from catching you on your way home.
But then there's the other side with block huggers being forced to not be as visible with the troops around. What I hope is criminals will slow down with this much heat surrounding their area. But it didn't work at the Taste of Chicago, so why would it work now? The gun turn-in program is successful for the moment with people turning in thousands of guns. In 2009, 1,883 guns were turned in. But Red Eye Chicago reported that there have been 100 homicides from January to April 2010. Turning in guns just means criminals have to find another gun or the criminals who are really doing the shooting aren't giving up their guns in the first place.
Honestly I don't think the gun turn-in program is focused on stopping crime as much as it is about criminals having better or the same weapons as cops. But what I do think is something has to change, and it's going to have to start with the job market. When there are no jobs in an area, drug dealing increases. Drug dealing increases greed. Greed increases violence. The violence is a cycle continuously punishing youngsters in the process. I grew up with gangs surrounding my neighborhood and ran home far too many times from gang fights. It wasn't the after-school programs that stopped me from joining. It wasn't my peers that stopped me from joining. It was fear from my own parents and having positive male role models around who did otherwise.
Chicago can bring in the National Guard if it wants to, but sooner or later, they're going to have to go home. And when they go home, the violence will continue. The only way to change the violence is to change the mindset of the people, make jobs more available and start snitching on those who are tearing down the neighborhoods. But until the Chicago Police Department provides sufficient security for those who will step up and talk about criminals in the area, they can't expect people to start talking.
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