Politics & Government
Ohio Pastor Says President Trump Wants Chicago Gang Sit-Down
The president says he's open to a gang summit over curbing the city's gun violence, "because Chicago is totally out of control."
A Cleveland pastor who served on President Donald Trump's transition team told the president Wednesday that Chicago gang leaders want to meet with the chief executive and talk about "lowering that body count," according to reports.
During a White House "listening session" Wednesday in honor of Black History Month, Darrell Scott, a pastor at Cleveland Height's New Spirit Revival Church who has a long association with Trump, said gang members recently had reached out to him respect and because "they believe in what [Trump is] doing," according to Town Hall, a conservative news website.
"They said we gotta lower that body count. They don't want to talk about anything but getting that body count down, and they agreed on principles that can do it," Scott said. "These are guys straight from the streets — no politicians, straight street guys — but they're going to commit that if they lower that body count, we can come in with some social programs."
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RELATED: Trump's 'Send in the Feds' Threat: Chicago Would Welcome Help, But Not the National Guard
During the presidential campaign and since taking office, Trump has been a vocal critic of how Chicago officials have tried to curb the city's epidemic of gun violence. Last week, he tweeted: "If Chicago doesn't fix the horrible 'carnage' going on, … I will send in the Feds!"
Find out what's happening in Clevelandfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Trump was receptive Wednesday to Scott's suggestion of a presidential gang summit, and he again waved around the threat of federal involvement if Chicago's crime and violence didn't decrease, Town Hall reports.
"Great idea because Chicago is totally out of control," the president said, according to the website. "If they're not going to solve the problem … then we're going to solve the problem for them. We have to do something about Chicago. What's happening in Chicago shouldn't be happening in this country."
Trump spoke to Scott's church in Sept. 2016, while campaigning in Ohio.
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Story originally posted by Joe Vince, Patch
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