Whatever the hell is wrong with the Mayor of Chicago and her resistance to Federal help to fight Chicago’s massive epidemic of shootings and killings, it’s lost on me. A few weeks ago when the President of the United States offered to have Agents sit down with Chicago’s officials and discuss a partnership to go after Chicago’s out of control street gangs she responded by saying “HE WAS PLAYING POLITICS WITH THE LIFE OF SHOOTING VICTIMS.” Imagine someone mentioning the murders of children and the hundreds of other victims, being accused of playing politics. I will keep this current, but just as a point of reference, from Friday afternoon until 3 pm Tuesday, when I am writing this, an astonishing 104 people have been shot and 18 have been murdered on Chicago’s streets.

Since Memorial day an average of over 20 people have been shot on a daily basis. Over 205 souls have been murdered and well over 900 have been shot. One would think after facing that kind of mayhem any leader would gladly accept any help offered even if it was only Barney Fife himself. Mayor Lightfoot would be right if the President decided to send in Federal troops or the National Guard. The list against this idea is endless but I will share personal experiences.

Back in 1968 the National Guard and Federal troops were in fact deployed to patrol Chicago’s streets. The first wave came in April immediately after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The second wave came that same year in late August during the massive demonstrations at the Democratic National Convention.

Some folks and even politicians sometimes find themselves saying, well! send in the troops.  From my personal experience, Federal troops and the National Guard patrolling America’s streets are a horrendous idea. Keep in mind that troops deployed to fight crime and violence, do not know the state’s laws, they do not know municipal laws, they are unacquainted with arrest search and seizure, they are not skilled in the use of deadly force, they are bound by the Rules of Engagement set forth in the Geneva Conventions.

Being an Ex-Marine, I can tell you that type of occupation has no place in America’s free society. Troops are not acquainted with the Miranda Warnings. They did not know the neighborhoods they were assigned to patrol. They did not know a gang member or a gang affiliate or the turf the gangs controlled. Stop and frisk became “HEY YOU COME HERE.”  The violations of civil rights were every day, every hour, occurrences. We live in a free society and every single person in America has the freedom of movement without harassment. When we did on occasion need assistance, the military bureaucracy was such that trying to get through the chain of command was fruitless. When violence is going down, there is no time to wait for contacting higher command officers.

So Federal  Troops and the National Guard is a really bad idea in my opinion, BUT TRAINED FEDERAL AGENTS  ARE NOT. I BELIEVE IT’S  CHICAGO’S BEST CHANCE TO BRING THE EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE UNDER CONTROL. Federal agents from the FBI, ATF, DEA, HLS, AND OTHERS SUCH AS THE IRS, BRINGS FEDERAL CHARGES, FEDERAL COURTS, FEDERAL JUDGES AND FEDERAL SENTENCING. What’s in place now is failing on a colossal scale, including local courts, and local sentencing. Too many violent, vicious, criminals are being set free and sent back to the streets they have been terrorizing with little or no accountability. A vicious cycle that has permeated for far too long in a city that is out of control. Any Chicago or County leader who fights against Federal agents coming to assist Chicago cops should be called out and exposed. Let’s hope the Mayor and her advisors finally wise up. How long can they make excuses and refuse help?