HR0018 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0018 LRB100 04122 RLC 14127 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, There were 77 murders in Chicago in November 2016, bringing the total in 2016 to 682; and

WHEREAS, The total number of shootings in Chicago in 2016 as of December 1, 2016 was 3,319 and the total number of shooting victims as of December 13, 2016 was 4,177; and

WHEREAS, In 2015, the number of violent crimes in Illinois was 49,354; and

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has seen a horrid outbreak of violent crime, seen daily on the streets of Chicago and other municipalities of this State; and

WHEREAS, The citizens of the major cities of our State see killings on a regular basis; and

WHEREAS, The fallout of the Great Recession of 2008 is still being felt in many parts of this State, as indicated by unemployment, foreclosed homes and businesses, abandoned properties and vacant lots, and a desperate need for economic development; and

WHEREAS, In Illinois, there are high levels of unemployment and broad declines in healthcare, deteriorating infrastructure, and shrinking pensions and retirement savings as workers in all fields of education, healthcare, and public safety are laid off as a result of a financial crisis they did not create; and

WHEREAS, Unemployment in the neighborhoods of Chicago and other inner cities is at 30% or higher, with limited economic opportunities and underserved, overcrowded, and technologically outdated schools; and

WHEREAS, In 1967, the report of the Kerner Commission stated that "To pursue our present course will involve the continuing polarization of the American community and, ultimately, the destruction of basic democratic values. The alternative is not blind repression or capitulation to lawlessness. It is the realization of common opportunities for all within a single society"; and

WHEREAS, The City of Chicago has seen a year of gun violence among the worst in the history of the City, with 400 people killed, a 15% increase over the previous year; on average, a person is shot every 2.8 hours; and

WHEREAS, As a State, we need to find new strategies and tactics and come up with solutions that protect our citizens from the scourge of violent crime, recognizing that enacting the same policies that we have passed the last half century and expecting different results is, by definition, insanity; and

WHEREAS, Article V, Section 8 of the Illinois Constitution provides that the Governor shall have the supreme executive power, and shall be responsible for the faithful execution of the laws; and

WHEREAS, Under that authority, the Governor should declare a state of emergency in areas of the State where violent crime is a serious problem and deploy State agency resources to combat violent crime; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the Governor to declare a state of emergency in areas of the State where violent crime is a serious problem and deploy State agency resources to combat that violent crime; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Governor of the State of Illinois.