Send in the troops

Another Chicago police officer executed; one more family left in mourning; a city at a crossroads of what to do about the plaguing violence of Chicago’s streets.

State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford, I am listening now!

According to a Reuters article in the L.A. Times, the Obama Administration is sending 1,200 national troops to the Mexican border by Aug. 1 in an effort to quell some of those issues, many of which are akin to what is faced in the streets of Chicago.

What seemed so outrageous does not seem unfathomable, especially after the despicable request from Ald. Ed Burke to ask Mayor Daley for police officers to work on their days off to fight gangs, according to a recent Chicago Sun Times article.

I do not pretend to understand the pressures of being a police officer in Chicago, nor can I know what it feels like to lay your life on the line everyday in these hostile districts. And I cannot imagine what it feels like to lose a loved one under these circumstances.

Asking a thinly stretched force to give up days of much needed rest is extreme.

These officers have families and because of the work that they do, each moment spent with them is that much more precious. These officers perform this duty at their family’s expenses, often missing out on golden moments. These jobs create strain on personal relationships. When one of their fellow officers fall, they understand the commitment that he or she has made to the city of Chicago. How dare you ask more? Aren’t these sacrifices enough?

Ald. Burke, it is easy for you to sit at your desk at City Hall and tell someone else what to do with their free time. You do not encounter what these brave men and women endure. You do not suffer from the mental strains of arresting the same offenders day in and day out. We are not dealing with a perfect department. They are human, subject to the error of the people they serve. They deserve compassion still.

Where were you during the town hall meeting in May? Austin residents heard from state Rep. Deborah Graham, Ald. Emma Mitts, and if I recall correctly, newly appointed state Rep. Camille Lilly. I even saw Ald. Bob Fioretti! I researched articles trying to find out where you stood on this, but to no avail. And you are not alone.

Hey, Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis, how is that 100-man special detail working out?

State Rep. Ford outlined a plan to his constituents.

If President Obama feels confident in the role that our guards will assume, then I can side with Rep. Ford. Let our officers rest, but send in the troops.

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