Hands Off Chicago

Dear Editor,

Consistent with prior proclamations, Trump’s depiction of the City of Chicago as a “hellhole” and “the worst and most dangerous city in the world” represents layer upon layer of deceit.  His assertions are proven to be lies not only by the most casual study of relevant statistics but by the voice of Chicagoans, themselves.  No one in Chicago is asking for a military intervention.  

However, what I find most disturbing is that the focus being drawn toward a debate about crime in Chicago and the efficacy of the city’s policing detracts from the essential issue.  That is, the unconstitutional interference by the President of the Unted States in state and local governance.  It is not the job of the President to make unilateral judgments as to the safety of our cities – let alone to impose a military nullification of the efforts of local police.

Our democracy puts the responsibility for state and local policing in the hands of the voters – not in the hands of one man who knows little or nothing of the day-to-day realities on the street.  The voters in Illinois and Chicagoland have made it clear who they trust to keep them safe.  It is not Donald Trump.  Any attempt to erase their mandates is worthy of a class-action civil rights suit.

Michael Brandt

Spring Green, WI