Chicago aldermen delay decision to declare state of emergency at special council meeting

Approved ~~ MJM

CHICAGO (WLS) — City Council voted to send a resolution to declare a state of emergency and deploy the National Guard to the Committee on Public Safety Friday, delaying any concrete decisions.

A small group of aldermen called a rare special meeting Friday to discuss the guard and other public safety issues, but Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her allies pushed the issues into the committee, which will meet at a later time.

“We need to have a debate about every single issue and we will continue to, but we have to do it in a way that actually builds consensus and moves towards real solutions,” Lightfoot said.

Alderman Chris Taliaferro, like the mayor, said the organizers are grandstanding.

Ald. Anthony Beale was one of the four who called the special meeting and disagreed with Taliaferro, while also bemoaning that committees are where issues go to die.

Beale represents the 9th Ward on the far south side of Chicago, and said with two rounds of looting, civil unrest and one of the city’s most violent summers, now is the time to discuss safety issues.

“Things are happening in the city that are really detrimental to the day to day operations, and we can’t get answers to them, and when we ask the questions we get shut down and accused of grandstanding,” he said.

Other aldermen argue publicly-shared answers are needed now on what the city’s plans are for safety in the wake of multiple high-profile looting incidents and ongoing gun violence.

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