Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) declared racism a public health emergency yesterday, claiming that it was the reason that there was a difference in life expectancies across the city.
Lightfoot claimed there was a 9.2-year life expectancy gap between Black and non-Black Chicagoans.
“At almost every single point in our city’s history, racism has taken a devastating toll on the health and well-being of our residents of color – especially those who are Black,” Lightfoot said in a statement. “Without formally acknowledging this detrimental impact, we will never be able to move forward as a city and fully provide our communities with the resources they need to live happy and healthy lives.”
Lightfoot said the city would be implementing a “will to act” initiative that will focus on addressing the impacts of historical policies like Jim Crow restrictions, redlining, and “other forms of financial and housing segregation and discrimination.”
They’re going to take the $10 million they got in Wuhan coronavirus relief funds and use that to deal with this “public health emergency” instead. This is why she’s using the language — so she can grab the funds for this purpose to establish “Chicago Equity Zones”
I have a few questions about all this.
If they didn’t need the coronavirus funds for dealing with the virus, then why do they still have them? Give them back. Unfortunately, this was part of the point of the Democratic bill — to give money to various agenda items that had nothing to do with the coronavirus. Given that it’s Chicago, one has to wonder where the funds will ultimately end up.
Lightfoot claims racism is a public health emergency in the city? Who has been in charge of Chicago for decades? Hint: it isn’t Republicans. So, is Lightfoot saying that Democrats are still imposing racism on the city? What are the present, racist policies or actions that Democrats are imposing? Please identify them. And if you say that there are none, then what are we talking about here?
Of course, we have seen racism in present-day Chicago — from Lightfoot herself, in refusing to do one on one interviews with reporters who were not people of color, denying white reporters because of their race. People are also questioning whether Lightfoot’s even well, with the emails that were just released about how she treats her staffers.
Here’s a thought for Lightfoot. How about resolving something that truly is a “public health emergency,” that’s been one for years, and that adversely impacts black Chicagoans, among others?
We’re now going into the summer, which means that Chicago shootings will be exploding again. Every weekend usually has dozens shot and people killed. Don’t tell me “gun control,” Chicago has some of the toughest gun control laws in the country. I’m tired of reporting how many people are shot and how many die. I want someone to figure out how to stop this from happening.
A lot of it is gang-related, which would seem the first way to go after it. But, it’s not an easy problem, and no one has had the will to really do anything about it. Democrats talk, and then when they get in, do nothing. If you knew where there was going to be a mass shooting in advance, wouldn’t you do all you could to stop it? We don’t know, in most cases. But in Chicago, we know. We know this weekend in Chicago, dozens will be shot. Why aren’t we doing anything? If Lightfoot and Democrats actually care about black lives, why don’t they seem to care about this?
UPDATE: 32 shot, 3 fatally, in Chicago since Friday; including 1 killed, 9 wounded in Chatham attackhttps://t.co/T8B4BVnNxD
— Sun-Times Breaking (@CSTbreaking) June 13, 2021
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