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WNIJ's summary of news items around our state.

Congresswoman Addresses Police Conduct Toward African Americans

tammyduckworth.com

Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth says she has a plan to address criminal justice reform in her campaign for U.S. Senate...and a solution for relations between police and people of color. But it's not the main focus for the Democrat. 

            

Duckworth stopped into a local coffee shop in Champaign for a meet and greet, where she answered voter questions.

But despite police killings in Chicago and elsewhere dominating the headlines this week, race relations didn't come up once in the half-an-hour informal Q&A.

The Congresswoman at first sidestepped a response to her Democratic opponent, Andrea Zopp, who said earlier this month that Duckworth didn't have enough experience advocating for the African American community.

"You know, I think she has to say whatever she has to say," Duckworth said.

But Duckworth did weigh in on this weekend's shooting death of 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrier in Chicago.

"There are people, black and brown people, who when they call the police for help, they can't be sure that they're going to get the help that they need. And that is wrong," Duckworth said.

Duckworth says she'd push for reform to gun and drug crime sentences, both of which disproportionately affect African Americans.

Meisel works for Capitol News Illinois.
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