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State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford (D-Chicago) wants to get input from residents on how to combat violence.
The two-hour meeting will build on Sunday’s press conference at which Ford joined forces with state Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago) and called on Gov. Pat Quinn to work with both Mayor Richard Daley and Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis to deploy the Illinois National Guard to help prevent violence in troubled areas.
So far this year, 133 people have been killed in Chicago – the same number of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.
“The Chicago Police Department and Mayor Daley are working hard to combat violence, but we cannot accept it as a normal situation that someone is shot and killed in Chicago almost every day, with the West Side citizens, whom I represent, being affected at a much greater rate,” Ford said Sunday.
“We need more help to combat violence in our communities, and we need to put together a comprehensive plan which includes the National Guard to secure the peace and to work respectfully to win the heats and minds of the citizens in the most violence-prone areas, to prevent violence from happening in the first place.”
For more information on the meeting, contact Rep. Ford’s office at 773-378-5902