by Daniel Nardini
Still labeling all undocumented as “criminals,” U.S. President Donald Trump has kept making threats to take away all federal funding for what he calls “sanctuary cities.” Sadly, Chicago has been labeled by the Republicans in Washington, D.C. as a “sanctuary city.” The problem is that this funding could be for police service, fire and rescue service, money for schools, and worse funding to fight the growing poverty in Chicago. Mr. Trump acts like every Latino, every undocumented person, every hardworking immigrant is a criminal and a threat to society. On this premise, if he does not get his way then he will make the whole of Chicago pay for his temper tantrum. As far as immigrants go, legal or undocumented, they are far from a threat to Chicago. Am I saying that there are no problems in the immigrant communities in Chicago? No! We have to be concerned about the gangs, about poverty, about unemployment, and about income inequality that is not only affecting Chicago but just about every major city in the United States today. These problems breed crime, and crime is the premise of any and all people who go rogue. No one group is truly guilty of this. If anything immigrants are less likely to commit crime than native-born; that has been borne out by statistics.
This is where the real resolution should be—against poverty and against crime that poverty is the chief cause of. Income inequality on the scale that we see in our country is a serious affair that has driven people to the edge of despair, and yes also crime. Trump does not address this, and he seems to care less. He talks about sending in the army, but he will not address the causes for why so many shootings and killings happen in Chicago. Poverty breeds the gangs, and the gangs go on a rampage and kill people. If Trump takes funding away from Chicago, it will simply increase the poverty and the gangs and the killings. The whole argument of fighting the “criminals” Trump calls the undocumented, by taking away funding for the whole of Chicago, in effect ignores the true problems and fight. Talk about a giant disconnect between us the people and Washington, D.C.!
Leading the False Fight and Ignoring the True Fight
by Daniel Nardini
Still labeling all undocumented as “criminals,” U.S. President Donald Trump has kept making threats to take away all federal funding for what he calls “sanctuary cities.” Sadly, Chicago has been labeled by the Republicans in Washington, D.C. as a “sanctuary city.” The problem is that this funding could be for police service, fire and rescue service, money for schools, and worse funding to fight the growing poverty in Chicago. Mr. Trump acts like every Latino, every undocumented person, every hardworking immigrant is a criminal and a threat to society. On this premise, if he does not get his way then he will make the whole of Chicago pay for his temper tantrum. As far as immigrants go, legal or undocumented, they are far from a threat to Chicago. Am I saying that there are no problems in the immigrant communities in Chicago? No! We have to be concerned about the gangs, about poverty, about unemployment, and about income inequality that is not only affecting Chicago but just about every major city in the United States today. These problems breed crime, and crime is the premise of any and all people who go rogue. No one group is truly guilty of this. If anything immigrants are less likely to commit crime than native-born; that has been borne out by statistics.
This is where the real resolution should be—against poverty and against crime that poverty is the chief cause of. Income inequality on the scale that we see in our country is a serious affair that has driven people to the edge of despair, and yes also crime. Trump does not address this, and he seems to care less. He talks about sending in the army, but he will not address the causes for why so many shootings and killings happen in Chicago. Poverty breeds the gangs, and the gangs go on a rampage and kill people. If Trump takes funding away from Chicago, it will simply increase the poverty and the gangs and the killings. The whole argument of fighting the “criminals” Trump calls the undocumented, by taking away funding for the whole of Chicago, in effect ignores the true problems and fight. Talk about a giant disconnect between us the people and Washington, D.C.!