>>> LET’S CONTINUE NOW WITH JAN
SCHAKOWSKY OF ILLINOIS.
HER DISTRICT IS NEAR CHICAGO’S
LOGAN SQUARE NEIGHBORHOOD.
CONGRESSWOMAN, GOOD EVENING.
>> GOOD EVENING, JOSHUA.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.
>> WELL, YOU ARE ONE OF THE
FOLKS THAT WE WANTED TO TALK TO,
PARTICULARLY, BECAUSE OF WHAT
ANTONIA JUST DESCRIBED.
THE TRAUMA THAT FOLKS MAY BE
DEALING WITH AFTER THIS.
WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM YOUR
CONSTITUENTS ABOUT EVERYTHING
THAT’S BEEN GOING ON?
I AM SURE THAT THEY’RE TALKING
ABOUT IT.
>> PEOPLE ARE SAD.
A 7th GRADER IS DEAD.
YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO TELL YOU, AS
A FORMER TEACHER, MY HEART IS
JUST BREAKING FOR THAT.
THAT, THIS CHILD’S LIFE WAS CUT
SHORT WHEN HE HAD, PERHAPS, A
GREAT FUTURE AHEAD OF HIM.
AND WE COULD HAVE, ALL, HELPED
HIM.
BUT PEOPLE ARE JUST FURIOUS,
ALSO.
JUST MAD.
WHEN IS THIS GOING TO STOP?
YOU KNOW, THE -- THE -- THE
DEATH OF -- OF YOUNG MEN AND
YOUNG BOYS, NOW, A BOY OF COLOR,
IS JUST UNACCEPTABLE.
AND CHICAGO HAS A HISTORY,
ACTUALLY, OF POLICE BRUTALITY.
AND WE HAVE GOT TO DO SOMETHING
ABOUT IT.
AND FRANKLY, I FEEL THAT THIS
OFFICER, WHO MADE A, PRETTY
MUCH, A SPLIT-SECOND DECISION.
AND WE SAW THE -- WE’VE SEEN
THE -- THE VIDEO, NOW.
THAT ADAM WAS COMPLIANT.
THAT HIS HANDS DID NOT,
ACTUALLY, HAVE A -- A -- A GUN
IN IT.
HE WAS TOLD -- THE POLICE
OFFICER, WE HEARD FROM THE VOICE
SOUNDS THAT -- THAT SWORE AT HIM
TO PUT THE EFFING GUN DOWN.
HE DID NOT HAVE A GUN.
WE SAW THAT.
AND YET, HE IS DEAD.
SO, THERE -- THERE IS JUST SO
MUCH ANGER, RIGHT NOW, IN -- IN
THE CITY OF CHICAGO.
AND DEMANDS FOR SOMETHING TO
HAPPEN.
WE WANT -- WE WANT A CHANGE
HERE.
>> WELL, WITH REGARDS TO WHAT
MAY HAPPEN, PRESIDENT BIDEN WAS
ASKED ABOUT HIS AGENDA ON GUN
VIOLENCE.
AND ON POLICE VIOLENCE.
DURING HIS PRESS CONFERENCE,
YESTERDAY, WITH THE PRIME
MINISTER OF JAPAN.
HERE’S PART OF WHAT THE
PRESIDENT SAID.
>> I’VE NEVER NOT PRIORITIZED
THIS.
NO ONE HAS WORKED HARDER TO DEAL
WITH THE VIOLENCE.
IT DOESN’T MEAN THAT I CAN’T
ALSO, BE WORKING, AT THE SAME
TIME, ON THE ECONOMY, AND ON
COVID.
BUT, IT’S NOT A QUESTION OF MY
BEING ABLE TO SET THE AGENDA IN
THE SENATE, AS TO WHAT THEY WILL
MOVE TO, FIRST.
AND SO, I CONTINUE AND I
STRONGLY, STRONGLY URGE MY
REPUBLICAN FRIENDS IN THE
CONGRESS WHO EVEN REFUSE TO
BRING UP THE HOUSE-PASSED BILL,
TO BRING IT UP NOW.
THIS HAS TO END.
IT’S A NATIONAL EMBARRASSMENT.
>> CONGRESSWOMAN, WHAT IS YOUR
SENSE OF WHAT CAN GET DONE, NOW,
ON GUN VIOLENCE, IN PARTICULAR?
I -- I -- I KNOW -- I DON’T WANT
TO ASK YOU TO, YOU KNOW, READ
TEA LEAVES IN THE SENATE
NECESSARILY ABOUT THE FILIBUSTER
BUT WHAT IS YOUR SENSE ABOUT
WHERE CONGRESS STANDS ABOUT
DOING ANYTHING ABOUT GUN
VIOLENCE?
>> WHAT THE PRESIDENT DIDN’T
MENTION ARE THE THINGS THAT HE
DID WITH EXECUTIVE ORDERS WHICH
I AM VERY HAPPY ABOUT.
AND I THINK ONE OF THE MOST
PROMISING THINGS IS TO PUT MONEY
INTO INTERVENTION PROGRAMS.
THAT ARE DONE BY THE COMMUNITY,
BY PEOPLE WHO ARE TRAINED TO
ACTUALLY GO IN, AND STEP IN, AND
TOP THE -- THE --STOP THE -- THE
VIOLENCE.
THIS IS AN ALTERNATIVE THAN JUST
HAVING THE POLICE COME, AND
OFTEN END WITH TRAGIC ENDINGS,
LIKE WE SAW WITH -- WITH ADAM
TOLEDO.
AND -- AND HE IS, ALSO, DOING
THINGS ABOUT GETTING RID OF
CERTAIN GUNS.
SO, THERE ARE EXECUTIVE ORDERS.
BUT, OF COURSE, IT IS TIME.
IT IS WAY-PAST TIME FOR US TO
PAST THE
PASS THE LEGISLATION IN THE
SENATE FOR UNIVERSAL-BACKGROUND
CHECKS.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE GREAT LAWS IN
THE CITYSTATE OF ILLINOIS AND TH
CITY OF CHICAGO THAT WOULD
PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE.
THAT WOULD REDUCE THE NUMBER OF
GUNS.
BUT, YOU CAN DRIVE ACROSS THE
BORDER, ANY-WHICH WAY FROM
ILLINOIS, PARTICULARLY TO
INDIANA.
AND ON A WEEKEND, WHEN THEY HAVE
THESE OUTDOOR SHOWS --
>> YEAH.
>> -- LOAD UP YOUR CAR WITH GUNS
AND BRING ’EM ACROSS THE BORDER.
SO, THIS KIND OF TRAFFICKING HAS
TO STOP.
>> DO YOU HAVE CONFIDENCE IN
CHICAGO’S MAYOR AND ITS POLICE
SUPERINTENDENT, IN ITS ELDER MEN
AND WOMEN, TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT
THIS NOW?
OR IS CHICAGO GOING TO GO
THROUGH THE SAME CYCLE THAT IT’S
ALWAYS GONE THROUGH, JUST WITH
DIFFERENT MEMBERS OF THE CAST?
>> I WILL TELL YOU WHO I HAVE
CONFIDENCE IN.
I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE PEOPLE
WHO ARE MOBILIZING AND IT’S NOT
JUST THE LA -- LATINO COMMUNITY
WHEN IT COMES TO -- TO -- TO
ADAM.
IT IS NOT JUST THE BLACK
COMMUNITY, WHEN WE SEE
AFRICAN-AMERICANS THAT ARE --
THAT ARE -- THAT ARE KILLED.
BLACK, WHITE, BROWN, PEOPLE OF
EVERY AGE, ARE COMING TOGETHER
AND SAYING, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
AND THAT -- THAT IS RESONATING,
ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
WE ARE SICK OF IT.
AND I ACTUALLY SAW A STARTLING
STATISTIC THAT BLACK MEN, ONE
OUT OF A THOUSAND COULD BE
KILLED BY POLICE.
YOU KNOW, WE -- WE HAVE TO STOP
THAT.
AND THIS IS THE MOMENT.
AND I THINK PEOPLE ARE MOBILIZED
TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
>> I HEAR YOU ABOUT HAVING
CONFIDENCE IN THE COMMUNITY.
DO YOU, ALSO, HAVE CONFIDENCE IN
THE LEADERSHIP?
OR ARE YOU PUTTING CONFIDENCE IN
THE COMMUNITY, IN LIEU OF
CONFIDENCE IN THE CITY’S ELECTED
AND APPOINTED LEADERS?
>> NO.
BUT, AS -- AS AN ORGANIZER, AS
WELL AS A CONGRESSPERSON, WHAT I
BELIEVE IS THAT PEOPLE CAN MAKE
THE CHANGES, IN THE POLICY.
ACTUALLY, WHAT’S A BIT
SURPRISING TO ME IS THAT,
TUESDAY, SOME NEW POLICIES WERE
FORMED ABOUT HOW TO DISPERSE A
CROWD.
AND YET, WHAT I HEARD LAST
NIGHT, THERE WAS THE USE OF
BATONS.
THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO WERE
THROWN TO THE -- WHO ENDED UP ON
THE GROUND.
AND -- AND SO, WE -- WE HAVE TO
DEMAND THAT THESE POLICIES THAT
WERE CHANGED ARE NOW ENFORCED,
AS WELL.
AND WE HAVE TO HOLD OUR ELECTED
OFFICIALS ACCOUNTABLE TO MAKE
THESE CHANGES.
I THINK WE HAVE THE POWER OF THE
PEOPLE TO DO THAT.