Chicago's Urban Terrorists

[WhiskeyGirl]

CHICAGO -- The idea seemed simple though bold: Call reputed gang leaders to a meeting with top police and federal prosecutors and deliver an ultimatum to end killings in the nation's third-largest city.

Weis said prosecutors at the meeting threatened attendees that they could be charged under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act if killings were traced back to gangs with members attending the meeting. The federal law, commonly known as RICO, provides stiffer penalties for acts performed as part of a criminal organization such as the Mafia.

Experts say the tactic of meeting with gang leaders -- whether formally with top administrators or at the neighborhood level -- is just part of good police work.

"It's become almost standard practice in police departments around the country," said David Kennedy, director of the Center for Crime Prevention and Control at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. "It's simply saying to people that violence is going to get special attention from law enforcement and that a whole lot of violence, especially in places like Chicago, is driven by gangs."

"What are we doing negotiating or having a sit-down with urban terrorists who are killing with guns and drugs on the streets?" Chicago Alderman Bob Fioretti said. "Gangs are not to be coddled."

The issue resonates deeply in Chicago, where the number of brazen shootings has escalated this year, even though the overall homicide rate is down. Earlier this year, two state lawmakers asked to send in the National Guard to patrol streets. On Wednesday, two cops were shot and injured while serving a warrant.

Overall, Chicago's homicide rate has mirrored national trends and dropped significantly since the 1990s. It fell from a high of 943 in 1992 to 460 last year and has held steady in recent years.

But if residents and police need evidence that the city remains a dangerous place for officers -- four officers were killed in the line of duty this year -- they found it Wednesday morning. Two plainclothes officers were shot and wounded while serving a warrant on the city's South Side.

Weis said the next step is to determine if recent crimes can be traced to gangs at the meting.

"I don't view it as the panacea to stop all crimes," he said. "It certainly seemed like a worthwhile effort, even to try."

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/09/02/chicago-police-chief-criticized-gang-summit/?test=latestnews

Sounds a lot like the gangs in the middle east and along the Mexican border.

Is it working?