‘Bloodiest City’ Chicago Now ‘Worse Than’ Al Capone Days, Dem Leader Says

Chicago now is “worse than the days of Al Capone” after becoming “the bloodiest city in America” in recent years, Illinois state Rep. LaShawn K. Ford (D) lamented Monday on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle.”

“I have to say that Chicago is worse than the days of Al Capone. It’s the bloodiest city in America. And I have to say that Democrats have to step up,” Ford said to host Laura Ingraham.

Ford said that he lost his cousin and his girlfriend less than a year ago on the West Side of Chicago when they were killed in a drive-by, leaving their two kids orphans. The lawmaker said he had not revealed this information publicly before.

Ford urged his party to “step up” and work together to fix Chicago — even if it meant reaching out to President Donald Trump — because “every community is feeling the trauma from the violence and destruction that’s happening in the bloody city of Chicago.”

“I’m a Democrat, and I’m saying that Democrats must step up. All of the Democrats, all of my colleagues, must step up and put politics aside,” Ford said. “We must work with President Trump and we must demand that we get help in the city of Chicago, on the West Side of Chicago and in our South Side communities so that we can bring safety to all of the communities in the city.”

Sixty-six people were shot and 12 were killed in Chicago during a 63-hour period this weekend — the city’s deadliest weekend yet in 2018. The weekend’s bloodbath brought the year’s total number of shooting victims up to 1,785, including 318 who were killed.

Chicago experienced a 19-year high number of shooting victims in 2016, with 771 murders total. Although 2017 resulted in a moderate decrease in Chicago shootings, the city has faced an upward shooting trend in the years since Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel took office in 2011. Emanuel is running for re-election in 2019.

Peter Koconis, a retired Chicago Police sergeant, disagreed with Ford and urged Chicago to vote its Democrats out of office in order to fix their city.

“Well, Mr. Ford’s saying Democrats should step up. They should step out,” Koconis insisted. “The problem is we have a Democrat sheriff, we have a [Cook County] Democrat state’s attorney, Kim Foxx, we have a Cook County president [who is] a Democrat.”

Related: ‘Too Many People with Criminal Records’ Cause Chicago’s Slaughter, Mayor Says

“And what they’re doing is reducing bonds. People [are] getting out that commit crimes with guns and they’re given no bond, a light bond, and they’re allowed to walk out,” Koconis added. “The Democrats are doing nothing.”

Also calling for Emanuel’s departure was Gianno Caldwell, a Chicago native and a Fox News political analyst.

“Rahm Emanuel, as we know, has been in office since 2011, and since 2011 he’s failed. He’s failed to keep us safe. He’s failed to keep our families safe, our friends and even out-of-town visitors,” said Caldwell, who is also the founder of Caldwell Strategic Consulting.

Caldwell noted that his younger brother survived a Memorial Day shooting last year in Chicago when two men walked up to the car he was sitting in with friends and shot at it 25 times. But Caldwell’s brother’s best friend was shot and killed.

“Now, considering Rahm Emanuel has been mayor since 2011 and murders have gone up, what we’ve seen is a mass genocide in the streets of Chicago,” Caldwell said. “Every Chicagoan needs to get out and vote and vote Rahm Emanuel out of office.”

“It’s certainly true [Emanuel] didn’t pull the trigger. I get that,” Caldwell added. “But his policies and his inaction, rather, have enabled those who pulled the trigger. You know that because the murders have gone up since he’s been mayor.”

Ingraham lamented that “so many have promised to try to help Chicago, but few have delivered solutions.”

“Maybe because hard truths are uncomfortable, and maybe sometimes because they’re not politically correct,” Ingraham added.