Before this story broke out, I already had it in my mind that there was some motivation, especially in the Chatham neighborhood (used to be called, Pill Hill because mostly doctors resided in that area at one time).
It's considered a neighborhood of upper class yet, and two policement have been shot in recent weeks. Not to mention another officer before the recent two.
Then, today, on myfoxchicago.com, I saw on the news, then looked up the article...I'm wondering if this antic is going to spread nation-wide, eventually.
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/email-warns-chicago-police-gang-threat-kill-20100720Email Warns Gang Members are Targeting Chicago Police Officers
Updated: Tuesday, 20 Jul 2010, 9:38 PM CDT
Published : Tuesday, 20 Jul 2010, 8:40 PM CDT
By Dane Placko, FOX Chicago News
Chicago - An email warning Chicago police that gang members would be trying to kill them has officers on alert.
The email was written on Monday, apparently by a member of the Chicago Police Department's SWAT team.
The subject line said: "FYI--Officer safety." The email goes on to say "per area two detectives, phone calls were received in both the 3rd and 6th Districts in which the caller stated 'More police will be shot. Gangbangers in the area are passing the word. Every night they will be ambushing police in the Chatham area.'"
Three Chicago police officers have been murdered in the past few months, and two of those murders happened in the Chatham neighborhood where they lived.
A Chicago police spokeswoman confirmed that phone threats were made, but wouldn't give details.
The Chicago Police Department did release a statement.
"Any time threats are made to police officers, we take this information very seriously," it said. "An alert was issued for personnel in those districts as well as every other district. These threats highlight the dangerous nature of police work. It also shows the lack of morals, decency and respect for human life these criminals have."
Police officers told FOX Chicago on Tuesday that the threat underscores the need to get more uniformed officers on the street. The department is 600 officers short of a full staff of 13,200. Another thousand officers are on sick leave.
Some Chicago aldermen are urging Mayor Daley to use Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds to pay for more police. The TIF fund is flush with half a billion dollars set aside for city projects.
However, Mayor Daley rejects the idea of using TIF funds.
"So when you go off budget, and you say 'we're gonna take money from here, here and here,' how do you replace all that money?" he asked. "How do you come back and create something like this? Affordable housing, retail, how do you create jobs?"I highlighted the quote in red, from Daley for a darn good reason:
The 75 year lease of parking meters gave him 1.8 billion dollars to sock away.
Only 8 million is left, just what? Months away. Where did that money go? They said "to plug the budget".
I'm no economist, but you don't use long term money to fix short term problems.
Not to mention the lease of the Skyway,...lease was for what, 75 or more years?
That money is all gone, except if I recall right, 5 million.
But no one knows where the money went.
Here this dedicated black man guarded that greedy bastard's home, just almost less than a month away from retiring...and Daley can't hire more cops?
Daley says what he says up there, in "red"?
I'm scared this trend will spread nationwide. All I have in mind is if they take the bodyguards away from the politicians...then they might feel for those that lost love ones, due to their incompetency.
See, they want your tax dollars, but they don't give a hoot if you get killed, the most important - firefighters, and policemen. Walking the job, not knowing if they will return home to THEIR loved ones at the end of the day.
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