12 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT RAHM EMANUEL AND SB 1342

Rahm Emanuel wants a mandatory minimum prison sentence for anyone who carries an illegal weapon (whether loaded or unloaded). He's wrong; there should be a moratorium on mandatory minimum prison sentences in Illinois.

1. Really, you mean Chicago is NOT the Murder Capital of America?

Everyone thinks that Chicago is the Murder Capital of America. It is NOT. Chicago doesn't even rank in the Top 10 cities with the highest murder rates.

Cities with higher murder rates than Chicago include: Flint, Detroit, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Stockton (CA), Memphis, Mobile, Montgomery, among others…

2. Since the media keep portraying all of Chicago as a “war zone.” Politicians are Pandering & PANICKING.

3. So Rahm (Rahmbo) Emanuel Humbly Offered His Answer To Reduce Violence in Chicago.

Rahm proposed SB 1342, a mandatory minimum gun bill.

SB 1342 basically says that anyone who illegally carries a gun (whether unloaded or loaded) for any reason at all should be sentenced to prison.

4. When he proposed SB 1342, folks were like "WHAT?"... Everyone knows Mandatory Minimum Sentences DON'T WORK!

Under this law, senior citizens who are caught with an unlicensed gun will get more prison time than people who have actually hurt someone. People with a record decades old are treated the same as those who are causing major trouble. And there is little motivation for people to better themselves in prison, since programming is unavailable and they won’t be able to earn much time off their sentence.

5. SB 1342 Is EXPENSIVE & Illinois Says That The State Is BROKE!

Analysis of the amended SB 1342 bill completed by the Illinois Department of Corrections estimates an additional cost of $549,060,700 over ten years. According to the Vera Institute of Justice, Illinois analyses do not usually include an additional 42% of associated costs that are contained in the budgets of other state agencies (e.g. Central Management Services). This brings the total cost of the current bill to almost $780M.

6. SB 1342 Means More People in Prison in Illinois

SB 1342 will add 2,500 more people to overcrowded Illinois prisons that already have over 49,000 inmates in a system designed to accommodate only 32,000 individuals.

7. SB 1342 is RACIST!

Decades of research finds that mandatory minimums don’t work and they disproportionately target communities of color.

Because they reduce judicial discretion, mandatory minimum reforms were initially supported by some advocates of racial justice who believed that uniform sentences would prevent racial bias from entering the sentencing process and reduce racial sentencing disparities. Instead, the ostensibly race-neutral reform had the opposite effect.

For more than two decades, it has been clear that white, non-Hispanic defendants arrested for mandatory minimum-eligible offenses are less likely to be charged at the mandatory level, more likely to be given diversion options, and less likely to be convicted at the mandatory level, than similarly-situated African-American and Hispanic defendants.

8. Thousands of People Across Illinois Oppose SB 1342

And they've been calling, writing, and visiting their elected officials. YOU SHOULD TOO!

9. So Far Rahm's All Like..I'm the King Of The WORLD & I Don't Have To Listen To Silly Voters

But Chicagoans' voices and opinions DO MATTER. You can let us know what you think about mandatory minimum prison sentences and guns by filling out our survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s/SB1342.

10. Even Though Some Politicians Refuse To Listen, Opponents Of SB 1342 Aren't Like This...

11. Opponents Are Like This...

12. Make Your Voices Heard, Oppose SB 1342 & We'll All Be Like This...

If you are in Chicago, join us on December 2 at 6 p.m. at City Hall (121 N. Lasalle) when we will "Shine A Light on Mandatory Minimums."