Chicago to Host NATO Summit Amid Frequent Crime

Chicago to Host NATO Summit amid Frequent Crime
by: Xinhua writer Lynette Holloway

In less than two months, Chicago's jagged skyline, stunning lakefront, fine dining institutions and top-notch cultural organizations will be at the center of the world stage when it hosts the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit.

On May 19-21, the city is scheduled to host an estimated 50 heads of state, foreign and defense ministers from NATO member countries.

However, a question mark has arisen regarding the city's preparedness for the summit after a weekend spate of violence claimed 10 lives and that President Barack Obama abruptly announced plans earlier this month to move the G-8 summit from Chicago to Camp David. The summit was supposed to run in tandem with NATO.

While the president suggested that the move was because he wanted a more intimate setting, observers say it was due to the president's lack of confidence in the city's ability to handle tens of thousands of people threatening to protest everything from war to poverty during the summits. Protesters have promised to show up for NATO despite the withdrawal of the G-8 summit.

No matter, the Chicago Police Department told Xinhua in a statement that it will be prepared.

"The final footprint of the event has not been finalized by the United States Secret Service and therefore I cannot speak about security specifics," Melissa Stratton, director of news affairs for the police department, said in a statement.

"The Chicago Police Department's priority is to ensure the public safety of residents and participants, while also protecting the First Amendment rights of those who wish to exercise them."

The police department also acknowledged the acquisition of an estimated 8,000 new face shields for police helmets in preparation for the event at a cost of 758,000 U.S. dollars, local media reported. The new equipment will fit the helmets and provide added protection against rocks or liquids. The move followed an earlier purchase of about 3,000 police shields.

While Stratton would not comment to Xinhua about the president's decision to move the G-8 summit from Chicago, she reiterated Obama's statement about his preference for a more intimate setting.

"The city of Chicago hosts many large-scale events annually and we are looking forward to showcasing our world-class city to the world in May," she said.

But staggering crime is a problem for the city with a reputation for gang violence that stretches back to Prohibition and Al Capone in the 1920s to Jeff Fort, who led the Black P. Stone Nation in the 1960s and 1970s. Some have argued that gang members are better armed than Chicago's police officers.

During their nearly one year in office, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy have been trying to clamp down on crime, but it has been tough.

Just last weekend at least 10 people were killed, including a six-year-old girl. More than 49 people were injured during shootings that began Friday afternoon and ended Monday morning.

In other cases, according to the police, a 42-year-old man died after being shot in head near his home. No one was arrested in what appears to be a gang-related shooting.

In another incident, gunfire erupted from a white pickup truck and a 36-year-old man was shot in the face and no one was arrested.

In another case, a 40-year-old female sustained a gunshot wound on the buttocks while she was driving. She told police that a bullet struck the door of her vehicle and injured her. In yet another example, a 22-year-old male told police that he was sitting with a friend on the porch of his home on the south side when he heard gunfire and then realized he had been shot in the chest. No one was arrested in both cases.

Cracking down on crime has been a thorn in Mayor Emanuel's side since he took office. A major test of his stance on crime came early when roving bands of youths began terrorizing the streets of the city's premier shopping district -- the Magnificent Mile. But Emanuel and Superintendent McCarthy scuttled the problem immediately by redeploying officers from around the city to the Near North Side Police District.

Charles Butler, a conservative radio talk show host on WIND-AM and an expert on Chicago urban affairs, told Xinhua that it is important to keep NATO and the city's crime problem in their proper context. He pointed out that Chicago's crime problem exists in areas outside of downtown, where NATO events will likely be concentrated.

"Chicago is one of the few major cities where you can always go downtown and walk without fear," Butler said. "That was true even in the turbulent 1960s and 1970s. When you talk about NATO coming to Chicago, you have to realize that downtown Chicago is not reflective of the rest of the city. The NATO attendees will not have to fear anything, just like the tourists who come to Chicago. Many of them do not venture into the war zones of the city and do not see all of the shootings and killings."