Black leaders divided over Trump's call to send National Guard to Chicago
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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks at a news conference Monday. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Black leaders are split on President Trump's threat to deploy the National Guard to fight crime in Chicago.
The big picture: Trump doubled down on his rhetoric Tuesday at a cabinet meeting, stating that Chicago is a "hellhole" and that Black residents are begging him to intervene.
Why it matters: Chicago's crime is disproportionately centered in impoverished Black neighborhoods on Chicago's South and West sides.
Zoom in: Several local Black leaders have stood by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson in pushing back against federalizing National Guard troops here.
- A rally is being held Thursday in Daley Plaza, featuring a coalition of Black community organizations decrying what they call racist threats from the White House.
- Latino leaders rallied Wednesday.
What they're saying: "Trump's agenda of starving our communities of resources in order to enrich his billionaire friends is already having disastrous consequences on Chicago's Black, Brown and working class communities," activist Rich Wallace said in a statement.
- "Adding military occupation and threats to withhold more resources only creates more instability and makes us less safe."
- "Bringing the National Guard into Chicago threatens Black communities that have already been overpoliced and under-invested in for generations," U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (2nd) said in a statement.
Zoom in: While crime is down across Chicago and other major cities in the U.S., it's still a major issue. Shootings in some neighborhoods are still a regular occurrence, and Chicago has suffered a string of mass shootings this summer.
- Crime on the CTA is also a problem, with some speculating the National Guard could be deployed to help there.
The other side: Not all Black leaders are condemning Trump's suggestions.
- "Chicago should be open to the federal government support to tackle crime," former mayoral candidate and activist Ja'Mal Green tells Axios.
- Green says the National Guard may not be the answer because of tensions it could create between law enforcement and communities, but he would support troops on the CTA.
- "Our elected officials need to stop playing politics and work with Trump. I don't care if we like him or not, we need the White House."
Former mayoral candidate and businessman Willie Wilson agrees.
- "We must do something different to save lives," Wilson said in a statement.
- "I stay on the South Side of Chicago. I'm living the experience," Chicago Flips Red founder Danielle Carter-Walters told the Sun-Times. "You can't sit in your car without worrying about being robbed, mugged, shot, carjacked."
- "We definitely need something to be done."