Former Mayor Daley Says Something Needs to be Done About Chicago Gun Violence

CHICAGO, IL - Before Rahm Emanuel, an entire generation of Chicagoans and perhaps two knew only one name that followed the word “Mayor.”

“Mayor Daley,” for better or worse, rolled off the tongue of city habitants for four decades. First from 1955-1976 under Democratic machine leader Richard J. Daley and then from 1989-2011 under the leadership of Richard M.

But now, Chicago is often seen as a national punching bag because of the rampant shootings. And the surviving former Mayor had “something” to say about it.

KNOW CHICAGO: Headlines by email from Patch editor Tim Moran

“Well you have to do something about it. You can’t just say ‘I don’t like it, I feel bad for the children. What are you doing about it?” Daley said to reporters during a back-to-school gardening event at Smyth Elementary School in University Village.

While being free from top-decision making responsibilities after leaving the office he held for 22 years, that isn’t much of an answer from one of Chicago politics’ most historical figures.

Daley was at the head of the powers that be during the 1990s, the last time Chicago hit numbers seen in 2016.
In July of this year, more than 2,000 people have been victims of gunfire in Chicago. Droves of young people are being shot and killed every weekend.

Daley's appearance at the back-to-school event was a rare one. After being in the city's limelight for much of his life, the former mayor has mostly stayed out of the public eye.

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