Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:52 pm
In the wake of Donald Trump’s threat to invade Chicago, the Rev. Jesse Jackson also responded, tweeting,
We need a plan, not a threat. We need jobs, not jails. #Chicago
— Rev Jesse Jackson Sr (@RevJJackson) January 25, 2017
This is what Mayor Rahm Emmanuel has said was needed as well, in an interview on WTTW:
“I believe that we should be making investments, both in jobs, alter after school activities, helping police officers. All those efforts.”
In that same interview he said he welcomes federal aid. Of course, he isn’t going to get federal aid but an armed invasion. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson pointed to the problem of guns in a statement made through a spokesperson:
“The Chicago Police Department is more than willing to work with the federal government to build on our partnerships with DOJ, FBI, DEA and ATF and boost federal prosecution rates for gun crimes in Chicago.”
The problem is, the people he is going to likely have to work with is the National Guard. Federal resources could be better used to help disaster victims in Georgia, tornado victims in Mississippi, or to bring water to people in Flint, Michigan.
The problem with guns as a problem is that Republicans insist guns are not a problem. Guns make us safe, they insist. But guns do not make us safe, and Vox‘s German Lopez scores a point when he says,
Trump wants to "send in the Feds" to stop Chicago gun violence. He should consider federal gun control: https://t.co/BIrAkKXDqu
— German Lopez (@germanrlopez) January 25, 2017
Obviously, gun control legislation is not going to happen in a Trump administration. Even if Trump supported gun control, the Republican-controlled Congress would kill any efforts in that direction, just as they did during OBama’s two terms.
So what will Trump’s feds do? Take away guns? If from minorities, Republicans will be all for it since they’ve shown they do not think the Second Amendment applies to minorities any more than the First Amendment applies to Muslims.
As GQ’s Kevin Nguyen tweeted,
It should be criminal the way Trump/GOP/Fox cite Chicago homicide rates as an argument that black people don't deserve basic human rights.
— Kevin Nguyen (@knguyen) January 25, 2017
Trump has already promised to create jobs but has shown more interest in creating more wealth for himself and for the 1 percent. His opposition to the Democrats’ job-creating infrastructure bill and his knee-jerk response to violence in Chicago implies he really has no plan to do so.
Money spent helping everyday Americans, let alone minorities, means less profit for wealthy Americans and corporations. And make no mistake, it is corporations, not minorities, who are the intended beneficiaries of any Trump jobs plan.
As Jesse Jackson said, what is needed is a plan – a real plan – but Donald Trump has no plan, just a bunch of things he doesn’t like and a short enough fuse to make that a problem.
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