Gov. Pat Quinn says he’s open and ready to talk with Mayor Rahm Emanuel about bringing in reinforcements from the Illinois State Police to help stem the violence in Chicago.
Quinn spokeswoman Brooke Anderson said the governor "stands ready" to talk to the mayor and local law enforcement "about the possibility of providing additional Illinois State Police reinforcements to help stop the violence."
More than 20 people were shot, five of them fatally, over the weekend. That violence came after an especially bloody night last Thursday that saw 13 people, including a three-year-old boy, injured in spray of bullets at a park on the city's south side.
Quinn said Saturday if Illinois State Police is brought in to help with the city’s violence, it would need to be with the full cooperation of Chicago Police.
"I’m always open for any mayor or anyone to talk to us about working in that area, but it has to be done in a coordinated fashion with the local law enforcement, with their full cooperation," he said. “It’s important that we work together to make sure that we keep the people safe."
He noted, however, he has not spoken with Emanuel or McCarthy regarding the issue.
“If they want to speak to me about that I’m certainly always willing and able to sit down,” he said.
Emanuel on Friday said the city’s parks and streets “belong to Chicago families."
"We cannot allow children in the city of Chicago, and we will not allow children in the city of Chicago, to have their youthfulness, their optimism, their hope taken from them," he said. "That’s what gun violence does. That is wrong."
