Gov. Bruce Rauner says passage of his pro-business Turnaround Agenda would help curb violence in Chicago. Rauner recently said he's "disappointed" in how Mayor Rahm Emanuel has handled the outcry over video of a police officer killing Laquan McDonald, a black teenager.
"There is tragic violence in Chicago," Rauner said Tuesday during a private interview with Illinois Public Radio. "I'm not going to comment about the mayor's failures today about these shooting incidents. My personal view is the violence stems primarily from lack of opportunity -- the lack of a future that these young people see for themselves, and then they turn to gangs and then they turn to violence.
"And that means schools, that means jobs and that means supporting families," he added. "We have a tragic loss of two-parent families in so many communities. That's the core problem."
Rauner says his vision for economic prosperity would help create jobs and allow more money to go to schools. However, Democrats say the governor's plans will stifle the economy and bring down middle-class wages.
The governor offered no specific plans for dealing with violence or police accountability. He would only say his team is reviewing proposals like the licensing of police.
