President Donald Trump used Twitter to send a threat to the city of Chicago. Trump wrote, “If Chicago doesn’t fix the horrible ‘carnage’ going on, 228 shootings in 2017 with 42 killings (up 24% from 2016), I will send in the Feds!”
Trump posted the tweet after a segment on “The O’Reilly Factor” referenced an article in The Chicago Tribune. The article stated that more shootings had occurred in the city when compared to the same time in 2016.
The violence in Chicago continues to be a major issue and more efforts should be taken to solve the problems. However, some fear that Trump could use Chicago’s crime issue as a way to enact a form of martial law on the citizens of Chicago. If martial law is enacted, those who live in Chicago, or the communities that are targeted, would lose their rights. Military troops would control street corners, curfews would be set, and authorities would be allowed to stop and check every person without probable cause.
That’s an extreme example of the power that Trump could use if he feels the need to address violence in Chicago. But his administration should also take a deep look at the overall conditions within Chicago. While Trump has boasted about re-creating factory jobs for middle-class Americans, he has yet to suggest a plan to solve the high unemployment rate for Blacks. Chicago currently has the highest Black unemployment rate among the nation’s five most populous cities, according to U.S. Census figures.
Furthermore, Chicago has continued to underserve Black kids when it comes to education. The city has closed numerous schools that are majority Black. And the U.S. Justice Department found that Chicago’s police department practiced racial discrimination when it came to abuse and arrests of Black citizens.
So while Trump is hoping to solve the “carnage” in Chicago by calling on the FBI, he must first take a moment to understand the causes of the suffering among Black Chicagoans.
