“We have gangs in the Rockford area like the Vice Lords and Gangster Disciples. Gangs that I would like this money be used to destroy their operations in this community by backing up county and local law enforcement,” said U.S. Senator Mark Kirk.
Senator Mark Kirk comes to the stateline on a mission to fight gangs.
Senator Kirk says we cannot ignore the murder and mayhem taking place in our community and he’s pledged to advocate for additional federal help to tackle the increase in gangs and violent crime. The Senator was in town for the first time since his stroke, promising hope and dollars. “We have gangs in the Rockford area like the Vice Lords and Gangster Disciples. Gangs that I would like this money be used to destory their operations in this community by backing up county and local law enforcement,” said U.S. Senator Mark Kirk.
The visit comes after a violent July. 8 murders in Rockford. 15 homicides so far in 2013. That’s an 88-percent increase compared to the same time frame in 2012. Kirk blames gangs. “Of the violent crimes, approximately 50-percent relate to gang activity in this community.”
Illinois leads the nation in per-capita gang members with more than 6 gang members per 1-thousand people. “In my plan, it will be to bring a lot of these defendants that are picked up in this operation into the federal system doing long time, multiple states away so the gangs are hurt and the gangs I’d like to hit in Rockford is the Vice Lords. ”
Kirk’s Senate Appropriations Committee recently approved nearly 20-million dollars in federal funds to target gangs. Some of that will go to Rockford.
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