CHICAGO (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump’s tweet indicating he would “send in the Feds” to bring down Chicago’s homicide rate (all times local):
7:50 p.m.
Civil rights activist the Rev. Jesse Jackson agrees with President Trump’s description of the violence in Chicago as “carnage.”
However, Jackson on Wednesday referenced “carnage” when talking about an unemployment rate in some Chicago neighborhoods and the loss of thousands of teacher jobs.
Late Tuesday, the president declared he was ready to “send in the Feds” if Chicago can’t reduce its homicides.
Jackson said that a comprehensive plan is needed to deal with the violence racking Chicago, including halting the influx of guns from Indiana as jobs are disappearing.
He said racial and gender inequality must be addressed, in addition to the creation of jobs.
Jackson added as much should be spent in rebuilding cities as is being proposed for the building of a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
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3:30 p.m.
Chicago aldermen and Mayor Rahm Emanuel are making it clear that despite President Donald Trump’s executive order to cut off some federal funding from immigrant-protecting sanctuary cities they are committed that Chicago remains one.
On Wednesday, as news was breaking that Trump has signed the executive order, the City Council overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution to reaffirm Chicago’s status as a sanctuary city. And a few minutes later, the mayor said Chicago is ’going to stay a sanctuary city.”
Emanuel says he hasn’t read the executive order so it is too early to say how much if any federal money it will cost Chicago to remain a sanctuary city. At the same time, the Trump administration may face legal challenges in light of some federal courts that have found local jurisdictions cannot hold immigrants beyond their jail term or deny them bond based only on a request from immigration authorities.
1:45 p.m.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has welcomed federal help with the city’s violence problem but said that just letting police get “tough and rough” would undermine efforts to build trust in the city’s crime-plagued communities.
Emanuel made the statements on Wednesday, a day after President Donald Trump tweeted that he would “send in the Feds!” if the high rates of homicides and shootings didn’t improve in Chicago.
Emanuel said if Trump wants to help in Chicago he should send aid for law enforcement and money for after school programs. The mayor said sending in the National Guard would be “antithetical” to what the Chicago Police Department is trying to do to restore trust of officers in the city.
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11:30 a.m.
A Democratic Chicago congressman says he doubts Republican President Donald Trump “has any serious intention” of finding a way to end gun crime.
Trump tweeted Tuesday that he will “send in the Feds” if the fatal shootings on Chicago’s streets don’t stop.
U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez said in an emailed statement Wednesday that he doesn’t believe the Justice Department, under the direction of the Trump administration, will work with Chicago to address the gap between police and the community. And Gutierrez says he doesn’t think Trump will “do anything constructive to get cheap handguns off the streets.”
Meanwhile, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson says the Chicago Police Department is “more than willing to work … to build on our partnerships” with the Department of Justice, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and others.
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This item has been corrected to show that Gutierrez is a congressman, not a senator.
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10 a.m.
The Chicago Police Department is not disputing the figures that President Donald Trump tweeted about the city’s gun violence Tuesday night, though the department’s own numbers differ slightly because it uses a different counting method.
In a Tuesday night tweet, Trump said there have been 228 shootings this year with 42 killings, and he vowed to “send in the Feds” if Chicago can’t reduce its rising homicide rate. Those same numbers were reported by the Chicago Tribune on Monday.
The police department said Wednesday that 234 people have been shot in the city as of Tuesday and there have been 38 fatal shootings. The department’s homicide figures do not include officer-involved shootings, shootings considered “justified” such as in self-defense, and shootings investigated by the state police because they occurred on expressways.
Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi says it appears the president was relying on figures from the medical examiner’s office.
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6:43 a.m.
President Donald Trump is offering to “send in the Feds” if Chicago can’t reduce its homicide figures.
Trump tweeted Tuesday night: “If Chicago doesn’t fix the horrible ’carnage’ going on, 228 shootings in 2017 with 42 killings (up 24% from 2016), I will send in the Feds!”
Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson responded late Tuesday, saying the Chicago Police Department is “more than willing to work with the federal government to build on our partnerships” with the Department of Justice, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and others.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel criticized Trump on Monday for worrying about the size of the crowd at his inauguration. Emanuel, a longtime political ally of former President Barack Obama, also acknowledged his own frustration with Chicago’s crime rate.
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