Announcement About Major Company Offset By Grim Chicago Statistics
(CBS) – Mayor Emanuel downplays any suggestion major companies would be afraid to relocate to Chicago, amid spiking violence in the inner-city.
In fact, he tells CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine, newly recruited corporation ConAgra was enthusiastic about getting involved in the community.
"They willingly and want to be a part of that," Emanuel says.
Yet there is no denying the grim numbers. Chicago police were revealing the latest crime statistics that shows murders up 21 percent, shooting incidents up 19 percent, with a 14 percent increase in shooting victims.
Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy, under increasing pressure from aldermen to do something about it, appeared on CBS 2's morning news to discuss a new plan of action.
McCarthy talked about a plan to trace handguns, embed detectives in communities, and provide resources to fix up those communities.
But the mayor, fresh from his corporate recruiting triumph, admitted it would be tougher and take longer to turn some areas around.
"This is not a problem that the police department long-term can solve," he said.
Strategies include getting guns off the streets, jailing gang bangers, and providing alternatives for those who can be convinced there's life outside of gangs.