The south side of Chicago is a war zone. In 2023 the city registered 617 murders and more than 2,000 shootings, with neighborhoods such as Englewood and Woodlawn the most difficult.
Only a few weeks ago I stood over the body of a man who had been shot dead. Hundreds of young souls will be killed by the end of the year.
So I was not surprised when President Donald Trump said: “Chicago is a mess. You have an incompetent mayor, roughly incompetent. And we will probably make it straight afterwards.” After all, the first responsibility of the government is to protect its citizens. When endless violence continues to bully the life of people around me, action is needed.
Blue residents of the city argue for the help of Trump if ‘from the trade’ leads crime to a different bloody weekend
How did Illinois Gov. reacted. JB Pritzker and mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson – both Democrats – on the words of Trump?
“While Donald Trump tries to create Chaos that distracts from his problems, we will call it for what it is,” said Pritzker, reducing the comments of Trump. “Improve crime rates. Murders have fallen by more than 30% in Chicago alone in the past year.” He added that Trump’s approach was a distraction of real problems: “We will not be distracted by his authoritarian push.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker gives comments in Chicago alongside mayor Brandon Johnson and other officials after reports that the White House may be preparing for the deployment of national guard troops in the city. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty images)
Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago replied that Trump’s approach was not -coordinated, not in the vicinity of and inadequate “and that” the National Guard “in Chicago could be illegal” the tensions between residents and law enforcement “could be inflamed. He added: “It is not democratic. It is unconstitutional.”
Last week, on 25 August, Trump signed an executive order to prevent federal funds from going to Illinois due to the bail policy without cash.
Trump signs executive orders not to eliminate a bail for suspects in DC and rural
You would think that reducing crime, especially on the south side, would be a dual effort. After all, Black Lives is not pronounced – a group that have supported Pritzker and Johnson – say that far too many black lives are lost? Why do the people in my neighborhood, especially the children who walk to school, do not deserve the complete protection that is their inherent right as American citizens?
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, center, speaks at a press conference in Chicago. Mayor Brandon Johnson stands behind him on the right. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
I see the use of troops in the streets of Chicago as a necessary shock-and-awe measure. The Chicago police have done a good job in recent months to bring down murders and crime, but they are led by “Defund the Police” leadership. Imagine how much better the power would be with a mayor of the law and order.
At the moment, under the current leadership in our city, gangs are still controlling our streets, human trafficking is being uncontrolled and drugs flow through this like the Mississippi river. We need a reset. We need a recovery from society where our children come first and the gangsters last.
The Chicago policeago worn by a police officer during a basketball game of the university between the Depaul Blue Demons and the Marquette Golden Eagles in the Wintrust Arena on January 24, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Mitchell Layton/Getty images)
Let us not fool ourselves: much of the violence we see today comes from liberalism after the sixties. We separate far too many people from the American dream with policy from dependence. We preferred the unions of teachers above the training of our children. Only 4% of the children at the school in the street of my church can read at the level of the level. Far too many children have been shot and we have to guarantee their safe passage to and from school. We have families who drive through the street that have been shot. I have challenged way too many funerals and I don’t want to do it anymore.
Enough.
We don’t have to slide further down. We are at the bottom. Our left -wing mayor and governor, who appreciate virtue signaling and diversity over real solutions, will not help. So I have no problem with Trump that the troops sends.
Click here for more the opinion of Fox News
At the same time, I have to say that I see the National Guard as a temporary solution. I see it as the equivalent of getting a heroin addict in rehabilitation. The soldiers can patrol the streets and arrest criminals. But they cannot rebuild broken families. They cannot guide a fatherless teenager who is about to be recruited in a gang. They cannot create jobs, teach life skills or repair hope. When the soldiers leave, the same old circumstances remain and the cycle of violence is resumed.
The real answer is not in military boots but in community roots. For more than ten years my non -profit, Hood project, has been working on improving our community.
Members of the House Ways and Means Committee are depicted with Pastor Corey Brooks at Project Hood aan de South Side of Chicago. (Project Hood)
We have trained young men in transactions such as construction and brickwork, so that they have been brought to work in the center that we are building.
We have accompanied boys and girls who would otherwise be taken into the street. We have provided entrepreneurship programs, training course training and faith-based guidance that changes lives from within.
Click here to get the Fox News app
We have seen results. We have sent countless young people on the path of opportunities where they become responsible citizens who are able to take care of their families. These are not abstract ideas – these are tangible victories, won block by block, life for life.
The National Guard can calm the streets. But they are organizations such as Project Hood that will change the streets. That is where Trump and America have to concentrate if we want to recover this country, one block at the same time.
Click here to Van Pastor Corey Brooks
