Cartel kingpin Chicago's new Public Enemy No. 1

[farminator3000]

Source: Associated Press

Unlike Capone, Guzman doesn't live in Chicago. He lives far away in a mountain hideaway in western Mexico. But for all the havoc he creates in the nation's third-largest city, he ought to be treated as a local crime boss, the DEA's top Chicago official, Jack Riley, told The Associated Press in a recent interview.

His office joined the commission in handing out the moniker to Guzman.

Capone based his bootlegging and other criminal enterprises out of Chicago during Prohibition, when it was illegal to make or sell alcohol in the U.S. He eventually went to prison for income tax evasion, but he gained the most notoriety for the 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre that left seven rivals dead.

Yet Riley says Guzman is more ruthless than Capone.

"If I was to put those two guys in a ring, El Chapo would eat that guy (Capone) alive," Riley said.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_PUBLIC_ENEMY_NO_1?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-02-14-12-26-30

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well, i guess that explains Chicago's high crime rate...

[Comrade Grumpy]

1. That's just silly. Try looking closer to home, Chicago.

[Light House]

2. Know how to clip his power?

End this insane war on drugs, use the money saved by investing in Chicago's youth with jobs, better housing, and in case I missed it, more jobs.

[freshwest]

3. Like the repeal of Prohibition, cut off the funding.

[Light House]

5. Yes.

But we all know that isn't going to happen, too much money to be made off of the 99%. Cops, Prisons, cities with their drug grants, etc., etc..
Slowly but surely though, it's starting to happen, need I say WA and CO?
When the states get together and tell the Feds. to FO, then MAYBE, just MAYBE we can end this idiotic war.

[Blue_Tires]

4. Convenient to name some boogeyman 2,000 miles away

who local authorities have no realistic chance of ever apprehending...Nice touch with all the Capone comparisons, too...lalz...

So the way the DEA and AP frame this story, if for the sake of argument Guzman's empire falls tomorrow, Chicago will be drug-free??

[AngryAmish]

6. Chicago's high crime rate is not mostly due to drugs

The open air drug markets are getting to be fewer and fewer. Those were the dangerous spots because that was valuable territory for suburbanites driving into the city, get off the expressway, buy drugs and flee to the suburbs.

Well the gangs have moved out to their customers. Most people buying drugs email or text their dealers and get home delivery or do so at suburban McDonalds and the like. Not that drug markets don't exist - they do. But there are fewer nowadays.

Chicago has a high crime rate for a few main reasons. First, there is no real penalty to possession of a weapon. 1 year, with day for day means six months. Up the mandatory minimum and it goes away. BUT Illinois is broke. We can't open built prisons. We are selling one to the Feds. We are letting people out early since we can't afford more.

Also, people being killed and those doing the killing are doing it over dumb reasons. One dude said somethng on facebook. Revenge for previous shooting. Hell, there is a rap war. THis would not go away if Guzman gets arrested.

Also, the Chicago Police are completely demoralized. Most of them have retired in place. There is no respect for the leadership. They don't have a contract. They hate Rahm. Promotion is done so on a political basis - meaning who has the most clout or is related to someone with clout. The attitude is why risk your life for a department that will screw over anyone without clout.

There is no political will to change any of this. After all, the people who get killed don't matter to the Machine. They don't vote. Changing Chicago's crime rate requires money-which we don't have since every bit extra is going to pensions that were not funded for generations and the chickens have arrived and are feeling sleepy.