President Barack Obama addressed the International Association of Chiefs of Police today in Chicago, where he spoke as expected on gun control and criminal justice reform. Not surprisingly, the president managed to make Chicago’s gun violence problem his own.
POTUS in Chicago: "I live on the south side of Chicago. So my house is pretty close to where shootings take place."
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) October 27, 2015
President Obama says he lives on south side of Chicago. Did they move the White House?
— Marc Hennemann (@hennemannmarc1) October 27, 2015
Well, he does have a house in a dangerous area of Chicago — just ask the Secret Service agents guarding it 24/7.
Good times checking out President @BarackObama and his house in Chicago pic.twitter.com/6eICUh4VEH
— Brian BJ Mendiburu (@bmendiburu) October 24, 2015
We’re guessing the president’s neighborhood isn’t one of those food deserts where it’s easier to find a gun than fresh vegetables.
"It is easier in some communities to find a gun than to find fresh vegetables." —@POTUS #StopGunViolence https://t.co/PX4dpRdcxn
— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) October 27, 2015
Sounds like market forces at work to us.
In some neighborhoods, easier to find guns than fresh vegetables, #Obama at #IACP2015
— Lynn Sweet (@lynnsweet) October 27, 2015
https://twitter.com/SoiledBrain/status/659113381274632192
@WhiteHouse @POTUS Great idea. Create economic incentives for gang members to grow fresh vegetables.
— DJohnson (@dwjohnsonflhs) October 28, 2015
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Speaking of vegetables, President Obama echoed previous remarks on criminal justice reform by arguing that racial disparities in incarceration must be stopped at the root, a theory he put into practice recently by granting clemency (and writing personal letters) to 46 nonviolent drug offenders whose sentences he deemed too long.
#Obama: "law enforcement gets scapegoated for the broader failures of our society and criminal justice system "#IACP2015
— Lynn Sweet (@lynnsweet) October 27, 2015
"Let's go after racial disparities at the root," #Obama #IACP2015 Giving a teen a summer job is cheaper than "locking him up for 15 years"
— Lynn Sweet (@lynnsweet) October 27, 2015
"So if we’re serious about protecting our communities, let’s invest in opportunity and stop crime before it starts." – @POTUS
— Valerie Jarrett (@vj44) October 27, 2015
Overall, the president was supportive of law enforcement. His support and understanding of the Second Amendment, though, remains in question. And if by “gun safety laws” he means gun control, we’d prefer he just say it.
"Not about denying 2nd Amendment, it's about making sure criminals don't get their hands on guns." @POTUS pic.twitter.com/HYeXTbX08C
— David Simas (NARA) (@Simas44) October 27, 2015
Obama: Fewer gun control laws means "more fallen officers."
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) October 27, 2015
Obama saying wants to elevate talk about criminal justice above "debating on talk radio.
— Lynn Sweet (@lynnsweet) October 27, 2015
Obama: "Please do not believe this notion that somehow I'm out to take everyone's guns away."
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) October 27, 2015
It’s likely too late for that anyway, not that the president and Democratic mayors and governors didn’t give “common sense” gun reforms their best effort. Hillary Clinton, though, thinks Australian-style gun control is “worth considering.”
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