{"id":212638,"date":"2025-09-09T11:01:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T11:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/212638\/"},"modified":"2025-09-09T11:01:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T11:01:09","slug":"federal-forces-are-not-needed-in-chicago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/212638\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal forces are not needed in\u00a0Chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"

Regarding Tio Hardiman\u2019s op-ed \u201cThe president, mayor and governor need to unite to save lives in Chicago\u201d<\/a> (Sept. 4): The idea that the National Guard\u2019s deployment to Chicago represents \u201can opportunity for meaningful change\u201d is profoundly misguided. The entrenched causes of violence would not be resolved by the presence of federal personnel patrolling our streets; rather, their presence would exacerbate distrust, restrict civil liberties and intensify the wounds that generations of Chicagoans have already experienced. The history of the city, with Guard deployments during the 1968 demonstrations, the Democratic National Convention and the George Floyd protests, demonstrates a clear pattern: Militarized force amplifies tensions rather than mitigates them.<\/p>\n

Indeed, Chicago is confronted with significant obstacles, including destitution, disinvestment, unemployment and racial segregation. However, Humvees on the West Side and troops stationed in Englewood are incapable of resolving any of these issues. Systemic neglect is the root cause of violence in impoverished communities, rather than a scarcity of soldiers. This type of federal intervention trades the optics of \u201claw and order\u201d for the substance of long-term investment in schools, housing and health care.<\/p>\n

To be clear, this is not a neutral collaboration that crosses party lines. This is the federal government\u2019s assertion of military power over Black and working-class communities in the name of improving safety. This administration has consistently implemented policies that punish marginalized communities, including immigrants, demonstrators and the impoverished, rather than uplifting them.<\/p>\n

The same forces that are pledging assistance are dismantling social programs, gutting Medicaid and Medicare, rolling back voting rights and exacerbating the very conditions of inequality that drive violence. Asking those forces to \u201cpartner\u201d in resolving violence is akin to requesting that an arsonist assist in the reconstruction of the home they have set on fire.<\/p>\n

Federal forces are unnecessary in Chicago. Public housing, equitable schools, mental health resources, community-led safety initiatives and employment with living wages are all in dire need of sustained investment in Chicago. Youth programs, neighborhood coalitions, violence interrupters and grassroots organizers are already exemplifying solutions that are founded on dignity rather than dominance. The sole method of progress is to fortify those endeavors.<\/p>\n

The decision is clear: Engage in collective, community-driven transformation or invite authoritarian repression under the guise of protection. History demonstrates the consequences of selecting the latter course of action. It is imperative that Chicago refrains from making the same error. The battle against violence must also be a fight for democracy, equity and freedom.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Elce Redmond, Chicago<\/p>\n

The Guard could help<\/p>\n

Chicago residents who oppose National Guard troops wandering in their neighborhood might look at the 2024 homicide statistics<\/a> for 24 of the largest U.S. cities. Only New York comes close (377 homicides) to Chicago\u2019s 573 list-leading homicides.<\/p>\n

The Chicago homicide rate is 4.6 times that of New York City, whose homicides increased by 32 from 2023, while Chicago\u2019s increased by 74. From 2004 to 2015, Chicago averaged a little more than 450 homicides. Homicides in 2016 jumped to 770. National Guard troops might have helped then.<\/p>\n

\u2014 William O\u2019Neill, Chicago<\/p>\n

Rebuke collectively<\/p>\n

Every institution in Chicago \u2014 the City Council, our colleges and universities, all religious denominations, block clubs, business associations, sports teams, bar associations, medical and dental associations, theaters and music halls, taverns and restaurant associations, museums, botanical gardens and zoos \u2014 should be loudly condemning the Donald Trump administration\u2019s intention to illegally invade our city.<\/p>\n

We will not tolerate Trump\u2019s authoritarian bullying and fearmongering of our city\u2019s residents, regardless of race or ethnicity or whether they\u2019re documented or undocumented or gay, straight or transgender. We must firmly tell Trump, his lackeys and his enablers, with a united voice: Hands off Chicago!<\/p>\n

\u2014 Charles W. Hoffman, Chicago<\/p>\n

Trump Tower remains<\/p>\n

If Chicago is the \u201chellhole\u201d that the president says it is, why is he still in possession of his downtown property?<\/p>\n

\u2014 Patricia Benenson, Highland Park<\/p>\n

Tax breaks for Trump<\/p>\n

I went to the Neil Young concert with my two sons at Northerly Island on Aug. 27. I am happy to say that Young was fantastic! And the lakefront was just as beautiful as it has always been. Despite what President Donald Trump says about Chicago, it is and always will be a great city.<\/p>\n

If you want to see the sorriest site in the city of Chicago, you will find it at 401 N. Wabash Ave. It\u2019s a symbol of unchallenged pride and egotism on one hand. And on the other hand, the result of unethical politicians who helped the owner of this building receive $11 million in tax breaks. But because we care about the law in Chicago and Illinois, at least one of these politicians (Edward Burke) is in prison today. Birds of a feather.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Tim Ryan, Downers Grove<\/p>\n

Revelations at Wrigley<\/p>\n

Most of the talk these days is about partisanship and division. Well, I noticed something a little different at Wrigley Field on Sunday. Instead of a vocalist singing \u201cGod Bless America\u201d and the national anthem, the Cubs had instrumentalists Nate Klinger and Rose Klinger Kropf playing the songs. As Nate and Rose began to play, people started singing. First, it was \u201cGod Bless America,\u201d and then even more people sang \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner.\u201d<\/p>\n

An aside: This being Wrigley Field, they don\u2019t put the words on the videoboard; Cubs fans know them.<\/p>\n

Most importantly, what I saw and heard was Americans singing our national anthem \u2014 together. It was a good feeling. And a reminder that it doesn\u2019t always have to be about what divides us. It can be about what brings us together, too.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Patrick J. Allen, River Forest<\/p>\n

Restore truth, unity<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump has changed the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. As long as he\u2019s at it, I think he should establish a new department \u2014-the Department of Truth and Civility. God knows that we are in very short supply of both.<\/p>\n

As executive orders roll out of the Oval Office on a nearly daily basis, why not establish one that would bring people together rather than those that drive us apart? The role of the president is to be a unifier, not a divider.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Andrea Solomon, Deerfield<\/p>\n

Kurtis\u2019 look at 1968<\/p>\n

Big thumbs-up for Bill Kurtis\u2019 piece \u201cWhat it was like to see Chicago burning\u201d<\/a> in Sunday\u2019s Opinion section. It was an accurate account of a time and place.<\/p>\n

As a 15-year-old white student at Austin High School on the city\u2019s West Side, I witnessed a lot of the mayhem described in the book excerpt. A shout-out to the Tribune for spotlighting events that many in the media and academia would rather ignore.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Kurt Walther, Oak Park<\/p>\n

Kurtis guided us<\/p>\n

Bill Kurtis is an icon! I was born in 1939, grew up in East Rogers Park and froze watching the Bears play at Wrigley Field. In the 1960s, I was at an office at Lake Shore Drive and Ohio Street, and in the summertime, I enjoyed grabbing a lunch sandwich from a 7-Eleven and eating it on a curb kitty-corner from the CBS studios just to watch Kurtis and Johnny Morris sometimes do the same.<\/p>\n

I now live in Santa Fe. I always felt a kinship with Kurtis, following and reveling in his journalism career. Today, I enjoy his voice on \u201cWait, Wait\u2026 Don\u2019t Tell Me!\u201d on Saturday morning NPR radio. I am a Kurtis fan.<\/p>\n

1968 was a terrible time for Chicagoans. The burning and looting following the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s assassination was scary, and we relied primarily on CBS to keep us informed, aware and safe.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Ronald Tarrson, Santa Fe, New Mexico<\/p>\n

Note to readers:<\/strong> We often hear from our readers about why you love Chicago in the summer. Fall offers pleasures and treasured memories, too. We invite you to share what you love about fall or the memories that come to mind when autumn arrives. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to letters@chicagotribune.com<\/a>. Be sure to include your full name, your city\/town and your phone number.<\/p>\n

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here<\/a> or email letters@chicagotribune.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Regarding Tio Hardiman\u2019s op-ed \u201cThe president, mayor and governor need to unite to save lives in Chicago\u201d (Sept.…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":212639,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5124],"tags":[960,5386,1818,7281,1269],"class_list":{"0":"post-212638","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago","8":"tag-chicago","9":"tag-il","10":"tag-illinois","11":"tag-letters-to-the-editor","12":"tag-opinion"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115174000846807549","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212638"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212638\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/212639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}