“Chicago gangs haven’t been organized enterprises with profit motives and hierarchical authority for decades,” BAHHS writes. “We’re dying here because of the red lines drawn around our neighborhoods, marking them designated war zones and dumping grounds for violence, pollution, malnutrition, mass incarceration, under-education, unemployment, illegal drugs, and gun shipments.”
In a press conference following the February 23 city council meeting, Lightfoot was unwavering in her belief in the ordinance. She is open to making the necessary tweaks to get it passed, she said.
“We talked to the police department about whether this was a viable strategy because the gangs now aren’t like the gangs before,” Lightfoot said. “But there are still some gangs in the city who are very powerful, who are very hierarchical, and who have defined leadership that is profiting mightily.”
The ordinance is expected to come to a vote at the next month’s city council meeting.