Chicago: , page 1

This is already the case. As mentioned before, Iraq Afghanistan, but more importantly our police forces have become paramilitary forces themselves. Our police have been militarized thanks to the literally 'war on drugs' they caused in the first place.

reply posted on 27-4-2010 @ 08:59 AM by SteveZ

Can you post a news article or something to prove what you are saying is the truth? I live a good 15-20 minutes from Chicago and I have never heard of this.

reply posted on 27-4-2010 @ 09:11 AM by MotherofBlessings

I ran a Google search on "chicago national guard" and came up with over 500 news results.

I remember how scary it was in Harrisburg, PA right after 9/11 with cops carrying rifles. Chicago would be just as scary with national guard running around "keeping peace".

:Edit to put quotation after 'guard'.

[edit on 27-4-2010 by MotherofBlessings]

reply posted on 27-4-2010 @ 09:16 AM by searching4truth

reply to post by SteveZ

It's all over the local news, cnn, fox, and I think this is the third thread I've seen on the subject.

Is this the best answer? I don't think so, and for the simple reason it was done in Gary Indiana about 20 yrs ago. Sure immediately crime dropped, while the guard was there patrolling with the police, but as soon as they left it was business as usual.

It seems to be nearly an identical situation the only difference is the size of the area. Gary was beyond politically corrupt, which in turn created a climate where the "thugs" were often in cahoots with cops or at the very least paying them off, and the "thugs" would stay on the streets.

It has only been within the past 5 or so years that they have really cracked down on political and police corruption. Perhaps, that is where Chicago should start, learn from the mistakes of Gary the National Guard and little lasting effect, but stopping the corruption leads to criminals actually being able to be prosecuted and put away.

reply posted on 27-4-2010 @ 09:19 AM by searching4truth

reply to post by MotherofBlessings

I don't think people are taking into account the size of Chicago. The national guard will not be patrolling the entire city, it is very specific wards with high crime, the south side and the west side, shopping on Michigan Ave will not be effected.

reply posted on 27-4-2010 @ 12:22 PM by Keyhole

Here's another article from Chicago, ...

Crime fight is up to us, not the National Guard

In post-Katrina New Orleans, the Guard served a useful role staffing checkpoints to keep people out of sealed-off neighborhoods. That's a job a military force can do.

But the Guard isn't suited to fight drug violence and gangs. Guard units are not trained to collect evidence, obtain search warrants or help build criminal cases that can stand up in court. And they know far less about our city neighborhoods than do the police who are there every day.

Good police work is more than uniformed personnel stationed on the corners of dangerous neighborhoods. And it's certainly not military rifles and camouflage.

The Chicago Police Department is 2,000 officers short of what the city budget authorizes. We need more cops, not more soldiers.

"There's your problem!"

Chicago needs to hire more cops, not bring in the military!

But the numbers also show the police have been doing good work in many places. Murders have not increased in Austin, which adjoins the Harrison district, and are down 40 percent in Englewood. Overall, violent crime is down 35 percent in the city over the past 10 years.

Can the National Guard really do a better job?

Even if Guard units were called in, they would not stay for long. Chicago needs a permanent solution, one rooted in solving problems of poverty, poor schools and dysfunctional families.

It's tempting to yearn for the hero with the tin star to come to town and drive out the violence.

But that's not how the real world works.