Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for hosting this Special Order hour tonight. Mr. Speaker, when I ran for Congress, I ran on gun violence prevention. That was 10 years ago, and I am running just as hard today. I always ask just who or how many have to be killed before we really do something about this public health crisis. According to a recent study by professors from Harvard and Cambridge, by the age of 40, half of Chicago residents have seen someone shot. Just seeing someone shot is known to cause trauma and PTSD that impacts your ability to lead a happy, healthy life. Our communities deserve better. Mr. Speaker, 56 percent of Black and Hispanic residents under 40 witnessed a shooting, compared to 25 percent of White residents under 40. Black Chicago residents are more than three times more likely to be shot than White residents. Mr. Speaker, 176 victims have been killed in Chicago in 2023. Just this weekend alone, 4 people were killed and 22 were wounded because of gun violence in Chicago. This past weekend, a 27-year-old man was shot while putting groceries in his car. Hours later, a Chicago police officer was fatally shot as she arrived home from work early Saturday. She was 24. Instead of graduating with her master's next week, it will be her funeral. The next day, a 25-year-old man was killed in a drive-by shooting. Among the 22 wounded in the past weekend was a 15-year-old boy who was shot in the leg and rushed to the hospital.…”