President Barack Obama returned to Chicago today for several hours to address the gun violence that has plagued his hometown, suggesting that tougher gun laws, community involvement and improving urban economic conditions can help.
The murders in Chicago last year are "the equivalent of a Newtown every four months. Americans are asking for common sense proposals to make it harder for Americans to get their hands on a gun,” Obama said before an audience at Hyde Park Academy on the South Side.
The president pointed out that gun control won't stop every crime. Government can’t solve every problem, the community has to be involved, he said."A child opens fire on another child, there is a hole in that child heart that government can't fill, only community, parents, teachers and clergy and fill that. In too many neighborhoods ...the future only extends to the next street corner or the outstretches of town," Obama said.
Obama circled back to economic questions, saying that too many children in America lack the belief they will be able to succeed in life, and the country needs to fix that. "This is not just a gun issue," he said.
And he called for strengthening the American "If a child grows up with parents who have work and some education and can be role models," the child gets "a foundation" that helps them succeed, he said.
The visit came just days after the funeral of Hadiya Pendleton, a teenager killed in a shooting a mile from the Obamas’ South Side home. After attending the services for Pendleton, first lady Michelle Obama invited her parents to join her in the balcony for the president’s State of the Union address Tuesday night.
Obama said he was proud of the young men from Hyde Park Academy that he met with earlier this afternoon.
“These are all exceptional young men. I’m proud of them because a lot of them have had some issues, that part of the reason (they) are in the program. I explained that I had issues too when I was their age.
“I had an environment that was a little bit more forgiving. When I screwed up, the consequences were a little less harsh than when kids on the South Side."
At the school, members of the Pendleton family had arrived, including her parents, Cleopatra and Nathaniel. Also on hand were members of the Wortham family. Chicago Police Officer Thomas Wortham IV was fatally shot in front of his parents’ Chatham home in 2010 when attackers tried to rob him of a new motorcycle.
Religious leaders including the Rev. Byron Brazier, pastor of Apostolic Church of God in Woodland, and the Rev. Michael Pfleger, pastor of St. Sabina Catholic Church, are in the audience.
Among the city's political class, Obama adviser David Axelrod and Chicago Alds. Pat Dowell, Leslie Hairston and Willie Cochran were there. Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Gov. Pat Quinn and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin are scheduled to attend.
Students sat in the bleachers alongside people in the community. The ROTC acted as volunteer ushers. ROTC member Timeca Donahue, 16, said the mood at the school has been "very tense and exciting."
"This is a once in a lifetime experience. It's extraordinary. It's hard to believe it's really happening," she said.
ROTC member Lola Oni, 17, said she is pleased that the president is trying to pass gun control laws.
"He's an important person and people look up to him," she said. "If he does pass those laws, it will reduce some of the shooting but people still will have guns."
Stephanie Gordon, founder of the chicago chapter of One Million Moms for Gun Control, said she recently recruited Cleopatra Pendleton to join the group.
"She can bring a voice," Gordon said. "Every member has a strong voice and are flaming the fuel to bring about stronger gun laws. There are so many inconsistencies in the laws across the country. The NRA is so well funded that our voices tend to get squeezed out.
"We don't believe strict gun laws are the only answer but they are a concrete place to start. We're hoping that Congress votes so that the community gets a vote."
The stop at Hyde Park Academy was billed by the White House as one of several stops the president is making to press for the economic package he outlined in his State of the Union speech. But the crowd was packed with gun control advocates.
Pam Bosley, who said her son, Terell, was fatally shot in 2006 in a crime that remains unsolved, indicatd she's convinced the president's appearance will signify more than just a brief political fascination with urban violence. "We're going to keep pushing this," Bosley said.
Rev. Pfleger, a longtime supporter of stronger firearms laws, said Obama's appearance is not an embarrassment for Emanuel as the city battles rising gun violence. "Nobody asked that when the president went to Tucson" after a gunman wounded U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords and killed six others, Pfleger said.
Rather, Pfleger said he expects the president's speech will mark the beginning of a new federal focus on urban violence. "It's not to embarrass anybody, it's just to help us deal with an issue that needs White House, administration, Justice Department, education department, all the way down to the parent on the street," Pfleger said.
"When he comes, his administration comes behind him," Pfleger said. "So all of a sudden, if coming out of this becomes not only the focus on urban America, this has not been done before," Pfleger said. "Remember, urban America. Aurora, Tucson, Connecticut is not urban America. This is saying we're recognizing in America what we've been ignoring for a long time. The primary victim of violence in this country has been black and brown, and America has ignored it. So now he's putting the attention on it."
Air Force One landed at 1:23 p.m. at O'Hare International Airport.
The president, wearing a black overcoat, walked off the jet accompanied by many members of the Illinois Congressional delegation,
Obama was greeted by greeted by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, whom he patted on the back before boarding the Marine One helicopter.
After a quick flight with a clear view of the skyline and the lake shore, Marine One landed at 1:48 p.m. at the Burnham Park landing zone, very close to Lake Michigan and slightly south of McCormick Place.
The president walked to his limousine and the motorcade headed to the school.
Late this afternoon, Obama is scheduled to head to Florida for some rest and relaxation during the President's Day weekend, the White House has said.
The president’s emphasis this week is on promoting job creation and economic recovery, aides say, in the belief that solutions to violence and other social problem hang in the balance.
He and Vice President Joe Biden have made the case in recent weeks that the solution to gun violence isn’t just about gun control, but also about improving access to educational opportunities, social programs and mental health services.
To clear these pathways to the middle class, Obama on Tuesday night proposed creating “promise zones” in 20 struggling communities, helping them develop plans and leverage federal resources to increase economic activity.
He also proposes a plan to support summer and year-round jobs for low-income youth and to put long-term unemployed and low-income adults back to work.
Clergy, activists, parents and others in Chicago have said they are eager to hear a plan of action from the president to curb violence.
Annette Nance-Holt, whose 16-year-old son Blair was killed in 2007, said that if the president can set up a task force in Newtown, Conn., where a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at an elementary school Dec. 14, he can do the same in Chicago.
Cathy Cohen, founder of the Black Youth Project, said she hopes to hear a plan on how to get illegal guns off the street and how to get young people working.
Clergy said they hope the president talks about broader factors contributing to the city's violence, such as a high unemployment rate and a lack of adequate funding for local schools.
Chicago's homicides in recent years have numbered far below their annual total of more than 900 in the early 1990s. But while Chicago topped 500 homicides last year, the total fell below 500 in New York City, which has about three times the population of Chicago.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Obama addresses gun violence, economy in Chicago
President Barack Obama returned to Chicago today for several hours to address the gun violence that has plagued his hometown, suggesting that tougher gun laws, community involvement and improving urban economic conditions can help.
The murders in Chicago last year are "the equivalent of a Newtown every four months. Americans are asking for common sense proposals to make it harder for Americans to get their hands on a gun,” Obama said before an audience at Hyde Park Academy on the South Side.
The president pointed out that gun control won't stop every crime. Government can’t solve every problem, the community has to be involved, he said."A child opens fire on another child, there is a hole in that child heart that government can't fill, only community, parents, teachers and clergy and fill that. In too many neighborhoods ...the future only extends to the next street corner or the outstretches of town," Obama said.
Obama circled back to economic questions, saying that too many children in America lack the belief they will be able to succeed in life, and the country needs to fix that. "This is not just a gun issue," he said.
And he called for strengthening the American "If a child grows up with parents who have work and some education and can be role models," the child gets "a foundation" that helps them succeed, he said.
The visit came just days after the funeral of Hadiya Pendleton, a teenager killed in a shooting a mile from the Obamas’ South Side home. After attending the services for Pendleton, first lady Michelle Obama invited her parents to join her in the balcony for the president’s State of the Union address Tuesday night.
Obama said he was proud of the young men from Hyde Park Academy that he met with earlier this afternoon.
“These are all exceptional young men. I’m proud of them because a lot of them have had some issues, that part of the reason (they) are in the program. I explained that I had issues too when I was their age.
“I had an environment that was a little bit more forgiving. When I screwed up, the consequences were a little less harsh than when kids on the South Side."
At the school, members of the Pendleton family had arrived, including her parents, Cleopatra and Nathaniel. Also on hand were members of the Wortham family. Chicago Police Officer Thomas Wortham IV was fatally shot in front of his parents’ Chatham home in 2010 when attackers tried to rob him of a new motorcycle.
Religious leaders including the Rev. Byron Brazier, pastor of Apostolic Church of God in Woodland, and the Rev. Michael Pfleger, pastor of St. Sabina Catholic Church, are in the audience.
Among the city's political class, Obama adviser David Axelrod and Chicago Alds. Pat Dowell, Leslie Hairston and Willie Cochran were there. Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Gov. Pat Quinn and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin are scheduled to attend.
Students sat in the bleachers alongside people in the community. The ROTC acted as volunteer ushers. ROTC member Timeca Donahue, 16, said the mood at the school has been "very tense and exciting."
"This is a once in a lifetime experience. It's extraordinary. It's hard to believe it's really happening," she said.
ROTC member Lola Oni, 17, said she is pleased that the president is trying to pass gun control laws.
"He's an important person and people look up to him," she said. "If he does pass those laws, it will reduce some of the shooting but people still will have guns."
Stephanie Gordon, founder of the chicago chapter of One Million Moms for Gun Control, said she recently recruited Cleopatra Pendleton to join the group.
"She can bring a voice," Gordon said. "Every member has a strong voice and are flaming the fuel to bring about stronger gun laws. There are so many inconsistencies in the laws across the country. The NRA is so well funded that our voices tend to get squeezed out.
"We don't believe strict gun laws are the only answer but they are a concrete place to start. We're hoping that Congress votes so that the community gets a vote."
The stop at Hyde Park Academy was billed by the White House as one of several stops the president is making to press for the economic package he outlined in his State of the Union speech. But the crowd was packed with gun control advocates.
Pam Bosley, who said her son, Terell, was fatally shot in 2006 in a crime that remains unsolved, indicatd she's convinced the president's appearance will signify more than just a brief political fascination with urban violence. "We're going to keep pushing this," Bosley said.
Rev. Pfleger, a longtime supporter of stronger firearms laws, said Obama's appearance is not an embarrassment for Emanuel as the city battles rising gun violence. "Nobody asked that when the president went to Tucson" after a gunman wounded U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords and killed six others, Pfleger said.
Rather, Pfleger said he expects the president's speech will mark the beginning of a new federal focus on urban violence. "It's not to embarrass anybody, it's just to help us deal with an issue that needs White House, administration, Justice Department, education department, all the way down to the parent on the street," Pfleger said.
"When he comes, his administration comes behind him," Pfleger said. "So all of a sudden, if coming out of this becomes not only the focus on urban America, this has not been done before," Pfleger said. "Remember, urban America. Aurora, Tucson, Connecticut is not urban America. This is saying we're recognizing in America what we've been ignoring for a long time. The primary victim of violence in this country has been black and brown, and America has ignored it. So now he's putting the attention on it."
Air Force One landed at 1:23 p.m. at O'Hare International Airport.
The president, wearing a black overcoat, walked off the jet accompanied by many members of the Illinois Congressional delegation,
Obama was greeted by greeted by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, whom he patted on the back before boarding the Marine One helicopter.
After a quick flight with a clear view of the skyline and the lake shore, Marine One landed at 1:48 p.m. at the Burnham Park landing zone, very close to Lake Michigan and slightly south of McCormick Place.
The president walked to his limousine and the motorcade headed to the school.
Late this afternoon, Obama is scheduled to head to Florida for some rest and relaxation during the President's Day weekend, the White House has said.
The president’s emphasis this week is on promoting job creation and economic recovery, aides say, in the belief that solutions to violence and other social problem hang in the balance.
He and Vice President Joe Biden have made the case in recent weeks that the solution to gun violence isn’t just about gun control, but also about improving access to educational opportunities, social programs and mental health services.
To clear these pathways to the middle class, Obama on Tuesday night proposed creating “promise zones” in 20 struggling communities, helping them develop plans and leverage federal resources to increase economic activity.
He also proposes a plan to support summer and year-round jobs for low-income youth and to put long-term unemployed and low-income adults back to work.
Clergy, activists, parents and others in Chicago have said they are eager to hear a plan of action from the president to curb violence.
Annette Nance-Holt, whose 16-year-old son Blair was killed in 2007, said that if the president can set up a task force in Newtown, Conn., where a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at an elementary school Dec. 14, he can do the same in Chicago.
Cathy Cohen, founder of the Black Youth Project, said she hopes to hear a plan on how to get illegal guns off the street and how to get young people working.
Clergy said they hope the president talks about broader factors contributing to the city's violence, such as a high unemployment rate and a lack of adequate funding for local schools.
Chicago's homicides in recent years have numbered far below their annual total of more than 900 in the early 1990s. But while Chicago topped 500 homicides last year, the total fell below 500 in New York City, which has about three times the population of Chicago.
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