PROGRESSIVE VIEWS
Last week, the president stated that his “most likely next targets” for sending troops into cities to “fight crime” were Chicago and New York. In response, on Monday, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker gave a blistering speech at a press conference in Chicago condemning the action. His words were so eloquent and so righton- the-mark that I wanted to share some highlights. Everything below, except the closing paragraph, is a direct quote from his speech.
Pritzker said: “I want to speak plainly about the moment that we are in and the actual crisis, not the manufactured one, that we are facing in this city, and as a state, and as a country. If it sounds to you like I am alarmist, that is because I am ringing an alarm, one that I hope every person listening will heed, both here in Illinois and across the country.
“Over the weekend, we learned from the media that Donald Trump has been planning, for quite a while now, to deploy armed military personnel to the streets of Chicago. This is exactly the type of overreach that our country’s founders warned against.
“What President Trump is doing is unprecedented and unwarranted. It is illegal. It is unconstitutional. It is un-American.
“This is not about fighting crime. This is about Donald Trump searching for any justification to deploy the military in a blue city to try and intimidate his political rivals. This is about the president of the United States and his complicit lackey, Stephen Miller, searching for ways to lay the groundwork to circumvent our democracy.
“Crime is dropping in Chicago. In case there was any doubt as to the motivation behind Trump’s military occupations, take note: 13 of the top 20 cities in homicide rate have Republican governors. None of these cities is Chicago. Eight of the top 10 states with the highest homicide rates are led by Republicans. None of those states is Illinois. Memphis, Tennessee, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, have higher crime rates than Chicago, and yet Donald Trump is sending troops here and not there? Ask yourself why.
“I am asking (members of the press) for your courage to tell it like it is. This is not a time to pretend here that there are two sides to this story. Donald Trump wants to use the military to occupy a U.S. city, punish his dissidents and score political points.
“Earlier today, Donald Trump asked for me personally to say, ‘Mr. President, can you do us the honor of protecting our city?’ Instead, I say, ‘Mr. President, do not come to Chicago.’ You are neither wanted here nor needed here. Your remarks about this effort over the last several weeks have betrayed a continuing slip in your mental faculties and are not fit for the auspicious office that you occupy.
“( If the president doesn’t reconsider,) we are going to face an unprecedented and difficult time ahead. But I know you, Chicago, and I know you are up to it. When you protest, do it peacefully. Look to the members of the faith community standing behind me today for guidance on how to mobilize.
“We will see the Trump administration in court. We will use every lever at our disposal to protect the people of Illinois and their rights.
“As Dr. King once said, ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.’ Humbly I would add, it doesn’t bend on its own. History tells us we often have to apply force needed to make sure that the arc gets where it needs to go. This is one of those times.”
Thanks for reading. To find out more about how to get involved with local Democratic activities and activism, visit www. kcdems.us
Laura Bray is Chair of the Kendall County Democratic Party.
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