The mayor of Chicago, Richard M. Daley has declared he will not seek re-election after over 20 years in office. While Daley has accomplished a lot in his career as mayor of one of the largest metropolitan cities in the nation, he has also had his share of defeats. One of which is his nemesis, the Chicago Murder Rate.


The homicide rate is Chicago for 2010 is higher than LA and New York! As of September 2010, there were over 300 murders recorded in Chicago. There doesn't seem to be a week that has gone by there isn't a news brief declaring another person has been killed.

The citizens have complained and the pundits have chimed in to blast the mayor and his appointed Superintendent, Jody Weis' strategy for handling the situation. Recently, In August, Weis coordinated a meeting with gang leaders to issue his form of an ultimatum if the killing did not stop. Weis threatened to indict gang leaders using the RICO Act (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations). RICO is a Federal law which provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil suits aimed at confiscating profits for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. It is the portion of Federal law which is used to indict mob leaders or heads of major drug cartels.

In response to Weis' meeting, gang leaders "objected" and held a press conference to state as much. The leaders, who were on parole for other crimes, complained they were duped into attending the meeting by their parole officers. They also complained the police were not "playing fair" by holding them responsible for the killings and threatening to use RICO to punish them.


The meeting had many people scratching their heads and wondering what Weis was thinking, including the Governor Quinn. Well, there were also those who defended Weis' actions including the Mayor. Daley told the Chicago Sun Times (8/31/10), he thought the meeting was a good idea and that Weis' and the city would “negotiate with anyone to have peace — even during the war. You sit down with anyone. If you save one life — if I can save your son’s life, you’d want me to sit down with them. But, it’s not your son. It’s not your daughter...”

WTH? so now we are supposed to think the murder rate will magically decrease because Weis' and Daley played nice with a room full of criminals? What did they think they will do but change their tactics as to deflect detection or simply lay low for a time and re-surface at a later date. They have been called urban terrorists by some and rightfully so. They bring misery and pain to innocent people. They plan acts of violence that affect millions of people. They plague the system and cause it to collapse only to feed their own selfish desires many of which are highly illegal and immoral. 

Daley and Weis are doing what our leaders in the Military are doing when they plan a so-called secret mission "to root out terrorism" and then announce it on CNN. Why threaten the RICO Act and then tell the targets you are going to target them? Justice is best served when it is done quickly and consistently. Criminals relate to fear, strength and power. This is how they rule their own organizations. They operate on a code other than that of law enforcement. They sense weakness as sharks do blood in the water. Weis and Daley are looking weak. Through self admission they are having difficulty finding the solution to the murder rate. This last ditch effort to somehow reach the conscious of the gang leaders here in Chicago by having a good old fashion sit down to find common ground is lunacy. The bottom line is Daley blundered by choosing an outsider to deal with Chicago gangs and crime and Weis underestimated the tolerance of the people to withstand smart yet tougher tactics in dealing with murder rates. It's time for Daley to get real and abandon his draft pick, pay his guaranteed salary and do what he should have done, pick a cop from the streets of Chicago to be the Superintendent while targeting not just the leaders but their companions and those who help them carry out their deeds. I say I agree, Weis, use RICO to take the houses, take the cars, seize the bank accounts and use the proceeds to put this city back together not to send empty threats to crazed gang leaders.

NOTE TO DALEY: you only negotiate with people who are on an "equal" position as you are. Criminals are not to be elevated to equals. The United States of America has a policy that we do not negotiate with terrorists. The reasoning behind the policy is if we give in and talk once we will do it again and the criminals and blood suckers will use that against us because they know at some point they will have something we consider so sacred or precious that we will compromise our core principles for. During WWII the US also had a motto that said; "loose lips sink ships." These words were successful in combating the enemy. We would do well to repeat their intentions. 

Come on, People! Politics and PR campaigns have no place in fighting crime and defeating career criminals who prey on the weak and innocent. They have no right in the war against the innocent waged by the very gang leaders who staged their comical press conference. If this is truly a war then I say, war is hell. In the end the means will justify it and all the reclassification of the statistics or the suppression of good police work will not change the behavior of those who live to watch the world burn.