from the Hayes for Congress campaign
Republican Nominee for Illinois' 2nd Congressional District Isaac Hayes released the following statement today:
“When the same number of people killed in Chicago equals that of our soldiers killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, we are compelled to act swiftly and decisively. I applaud Reps. Fritchey and Ford for bringing attention to this protracted problem of urban terrorism, but inviting the National Guard to the Hood is not the answer. The first problem with this proposal is the Constitutional protections not applicable to the National Guard such as the Fourth Amendment, which protects us from “unreasonable search and seizure”. The second problem is a deficiency of rapport between the National Guard and the community. Our local police know the lay of the land, the actors involved, and have invested many years and resources in developing a relationship with community members.
“Since the start of the year, I have advocated a ‘police surge’ similar to those in operation in Iraq and Afghanistan that would allow police to flood an area, secure a perimeter and provide a safe zone for job creation and small business investment. This surge would consist of a 100 strong ‘strike team’ comprised of city, county and state law enforcement professional who would serve the entire Cook County region.
“Gang violence is a matter that can no longer be debated and Congress must act now. I call on the Chicago Congressional delegation to find funding to support this surge. Two possible ways to pay for the police surge is the Homeland Security Appropriations Act’s Discretionary Fund and the Stimulus Bill’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program.
“The time for excuse making has ceased. We know who allowed this problem to percolate and now it is time to take the gloves off and stop the senseless killing of infants and minors by cowardly thugs. We can accomplish this by investing in our local law enforcement which knows how to take our streets back and return to our communities their expectation for life and property because many of our officers are from these very same neighborhoods.”
