Political Quotes

“I thank the Chair. Madam President, this past Monday evening, as dusk fell on my hometown of Chicago, a handful of young people took to the streets with violent intentions. By the time the sun came up on Tuesday, no fewer than seven people had been shot, in a series of unrelated incidents. This wave of violent crime continued into Tuesday afternoon, when three more Chicagoans were shot and killed in broad daylight. These incidents came right on the heels of another shocking murder. Last week, a police officer and Iraq War veteran named Thomas Wortham IV was shot to death only a few blocks from my home. These events do not occur in a vacuum. They are part of a clear and consistent pattern, a pandemic of gun violence that holds communities in a vice grip. Every year, with the advent of the long, hot summer, gang activity spikes. The line between good and bad neighborhoods evaporates. In essence, our streets become a war zone. This is not a passing concern; it is an emergency. This kind of violence should be shocking. It should spark outrage and indignation. Yet too many of us turn a blind eye. We are paralyzed by the destructive political process and numb to the consequences of our failure to take action. This problem can't simply be passed on to someone else. This violence is happening in our cities and towns, where we live and where we work, where we send our children to school. It is happening in our backyards. So it is up to us to raise the alarm.…”