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People say “why do you only care when police kill people but not when black people kill each other.” Most of those people are trolls but in case anyone has this question in good faith I’ll humor you and address it quickly.
1) you don’t know what people in Chicago do every day to fight intracommunity gun violence. You know nothing about it. You don’t know about the work we do in education, community mental health, mentorship, or other long-term comprehensive efforts. Educate yourself.
one small example: no, you’re not gonna see me tweet BLACK FOLKS R KILLING EACH OTHER. But when you see me up in arms about making sure Assata’s Daughters has gardening supplies or school closings, it’s bc I understand that shooters are hungry people & kids with no schools.
When you see me haranguing the mayor for shutting down mental health clinics, it’s because I understand that shooters are people with PTSD. when you see me going off about lead in the water fountains in our public parks... you get the picture.
And frankly when I look at some of y’all’s bios I don’t know why you feel it’s appropriate to fix your mouth to lecture me about gun violence in Chicago. I don’t come to Florida to tell you how to deal with your backyard alligator infestation, Cindy. So shut up talking to me.
2) it’s reasonable to have different expectations of a state-sanctioned structure that commands OVER ONE AND A HALF BILLION DOLLARS of public money! That’s my money! Yes I should have higher standards for their behavior! https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20171018/albany-park/rahm-emanuel-city-budget-analysis-departments-increase-decrease/
I went off about this last night so here’s a link to that - but yes, I have different standards for the tax-funded gang than I do for the other gangs. Correct. https://twitter.com/eveewing/status/1018316081948254209?s=21
When you say “why do you talk so much when it’s police but not about other violence” I hear “why do you believe you should have more oversight/accountability for the $1.5 billion dollar state-sanctioned militia than you do the 19-year-old on the corner” and you sound ridiculous
3) Yes, we do have a problem with intracommunity violence in Chicago. We do. (A problem which the person doing the lecturing has rarely had to confront personally, yet nevertheless feels qualified to lecture on.) But our current system of policing exacerbates that problem.
Our people are not shooting each other because we’re monsters. Our people are shooting each other because there are no jobs, there’s no affordable housing, there’s no quality education, no childcare, no resources for addiction recovery, and no mental health care.
I have talked about all of these things ad nauseum, as have many others, but sure, have some links.
Mental health clinics eviscerated. http://beltmag.com/fixing-chicago-mental-health-system/
This is an article about unemployment “improving.” The “improvement” is 37% unemployment for black men and 30% for black women. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-youth-unemployment-great-cities-downstate-illinois-0513-story.html
And here’s the opioid crisis you probably haven’t heard about - 1 in 4 opioid related deaths in Illinois is a black person, but Cook County lacks appropriate treatment centers. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-heroin-crisis-african-american-impact-20171220-story.html
We’re sending our kids to school in literal filth. And paying for the privilege! https://twitter.com/eveewing/status/1014958254714179584?s=21
Our schools need $3 billion dollars in repairs. https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-news/chicago-schools-need-3-billion-in-repairs-yet-cps-spends-big-on-new-construction/c51a1753-f751-4484-b8e0-b87289f10bc6
I could go on. (Heck, I do! Pretty much every day #onhere ICYMI!) but I think I’ve sufficiently established living conditions that you can understand would lead people to shoot each other because they’re hungry, desperate, traumatized, or any other number of reasons.
Policing exacerbates this in two ways: one, as you can see, we need money for stuff! And lots of it! But almost FORTY PERCENT of our budget goes to the police! That’s so much money! https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2017/08/07/how-much-do-u-s-cities-spend-every-year-on-policing-infographic/
And right now they’re trying to spend $95 million on new police faculties. Check out #NoCopAcademy to learn more about that. https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2017/12/chicago-political-battleground-95-million-police-training-academy-rahm-emanuel-chance-rapper/
But aside from this siphoning of direct resources, our police department also exacerbates the situation by adding trauma, duress, terror, and violence to a city full of vulnerable, hurting people.
I already shared this this morning but just to link it back here - again, one small example. Do you think pointing a gun at a three-year-old is a good way to set her on the path toward a happy, healthy life? https://twitter.com/eveewing/status/1018499596971118593?s=21
Quintonio LeGrier had a mental health crisis while home on college break. His neighbor Bettie Jones went to see what was up. The police showed up and killed them both.
What do you think this does psychologically to their friends, neighbors, and families? https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/settlement-between-city-bettie-jones-robert-rialmo-quintonio-legrier/
What do you think this does psychologically to their friends, neighbors, and families? https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/settlement-between-city-bettie-jones-robert-rialmo-quintonio-legrier/
I’ll speak for myself. I’m scared of the police. I’m not ashamed to admit it. I’m scared of them. I’m scared of what they could do and have done to real people that I love. I carry that every day. And the fear is worse because they act with impunity.
I carry a lot of fear and stress just walking down the street. And you know why I’m not running the streets shooting people? Not because I’m somehow a morally superior person, but because there’s food in my fridge. I get a paycheck. I have loved ones. I have therapy.
So that’s that. In conclusion...
I will continue to reserve a special kind of outrage for a state-funded armed force that siphons away a disproportionate amount of money from a city in desperate need while inflicting psychological terror on the citizenry is shooting and killing people and goes unchecked.
Also, for the record, Cindy from Florida really tried it.
If you liked this thread check out my mixtape. By mixtape I mean an article about Jon Burge https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/04/15/closing-the-book-on-jon-burge-chicago-cop-accused-of-brutally-torturing-african-american-suspects/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.e91135e5f003
