Video: Kennedy takes gun violence personally

To my dad, gun violence is personal. He understands how gun violence can affect individuals, families and communities. He wants to make sure everyone affected can get the help they need and, most of all, he wants to stop this violence from happening in the first place.

My dad believes Illinois can become the kind of state to which all others look for help in understanding how to combat gun violence.

When violence spiked in the 1990s, Illinois made a commitment to invest in community policing. Crime and gun violence declined.

Unfortunately, budget pressures, divestment in public education, reduction of our police force, reduction in diversion programs, and divestment in anti-violence programs from the state have resulted in an increase in gun violence.

With almost 400 homicides already this year in Chicago alone, we are on pace to match the terrible record of last year.

But it doesn’t have to be like this. We will not stop this violence unless we transform neighborhoods from places where people are merely trying to survive into communities where they can thrive.

Please watch my dad talk about his experience with violence and his plan for stopping it in Illinois. Then share it with your family and friends.

Illinois Governor's candidate Christopher Kennedy talks about gun violence. Kennedy is running in the March 2018 Democratic primary election. Photo courtesy of the Kennedy Election Committee — Illinois Governor’s candidate Christopher Kennedy talks about gun violence. Kennedy is running in the March 2018 Democratic primary election. Photo courtesy of the Kennedy Election Committee

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Hearing my dad’s story and seeing what is happening across our state, I know that we must and will act to rise up as one and end gun violence.

Thank you,

Kate Kennedy

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Ray Hanania

Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

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