Democrat Chicago lawmaker on how the city has become a safe haven for criminals
Fox News political analyst Gianno Caldwell speaks to a Chicago Democrat about the city's ongoing crime wave
Fox News political analyst Gianno Caldwell lost his brother on the streets of Chicago and he has been pushing for accountability and answers to help make the city safer.
Caldwell held an exclusive "Fox & Friends" interview with Democratic State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford, who is pleading with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx to get tougher on crime.
Ford, who represents Chicago's West Side in the State Assembly, shared his concerns after another bloody weekend left seven dead and 23 injured.
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"Too many babies have been killed. Too many fathers have been killed. Too many mothers have been killed. Too many brothers have been killed. And this has to stop. And the only way you stop it is you have a system in place that's going to go after criminals," he told Caldwell.
"We cannot allow them to continue to run our communities and make our lives less safe. So only a few of them we could get them. Once we eliminate these criminals off the street, people will live in peace, and we can do it. We know where they're at."
Ford said top prosecutor Kim Foxx has a responsibility to "pull people together in the justice system" to send the message that "if you murder someone … we will lock you up."
The lawmaker didn't hold back on his criticism of liberal Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
"The criminals are winning in Chicago. … I think she's failed because she's lost the trust of law enforcement. She doesn't have a working relationship with Kim Foxx. She doesn't have a working relationship with [Chief Judge of the Cook County Circuit Court Timothy] Evans That's a problem. The community sees that, criminals see it, and they know that they can get away with murder."
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx. (Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Ford said his niece lost her husband, who was shot dead in the city's streets.
"My daughter went to pick up her cousins from school. She dropped them off. And within moments, a car drives by and shoots up the car and shoots and kills him right here in front of my daughter and his kids."
Caldwell said Ford is risking his career by speaking out, applauding him for expressing willingness to work in a bipartisan way to address the crisis.
"The Democratic Party of Chicago has protected Kim Foxx. They've protected Lori Lightfoot, so him speaking out against the both of them, him slamming them, is really a danger to his career. But his family's lives have been touched by this. So I really respect and applaud him for saying what he said," he told Ainsley Earhardt.
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On Sunday night, a gunman shot near a Chicago police station on Sunday night, seriously injuring one person and killing another, police say.
The shooting took place at the 22nd District Station in the Morgan Hill neighborhood of Chicago's South Side. It appears that no officers were injured.
Caldwell's 18-year-old brother, Christian, was gunned down on June 24 and no arrests have been made for the murder.
Fox News' Andrea Vacchiano contributed to this report