Democrats and Crime: A New Approach?

Rahm Emanuel, a former Chicago mayor, is pushing Democrats to take a stronger stance on crime. He wants them to be clearer about their plans to keep people safe. Emanuel is thinking about running for president in 2028. He believes Democrats need a better message on crime before the next big elections. Emanuel will share his ideas at an event in Washington. His plan includes working with communities and taking strong action against crime. He thinks Democrats should focus on community policing, stopping violent crime, and helping young people. He also wants stricter gun laws and better enforcement of them. Emanuel has experience dealing with crime. When he was mayor, Chicago had a very bad year for crime in 2016. But things got better over the next two years. The police said this was because of better community ties and new technology. Emanuel also spent a lot on mentoring programs and summer jobs for young people. His time as mayor was not all good. He was criticized for how he handled the killing of Laquan McDonald by a police officer. Emanuel admits he did not understand how much Black residents did not trust the police. He has since worked with McDonald’s family to try and make things better. Emanuel thinks Democrats should talk more about crime. He says they should not just rely on crime numbers going down. He also thinks the “defund the police” idea hurt the party’s image. He believes Republicans can’t use this against Democrats anymore. Emanuel is not sure if he will run for president. He also does not like Trump’s plan to use the National Guard in big cities. He thinks the money could be better spent on training local police. But he admits that sometimes, having more troops can help free up local police resources.