A Chicago activist said he understands what Black Lives Matter is attempting to do but wants the group’s help in combating the rampant gun violence that’s plagued the city in recent years.
“I’m one of the guys that was on the frontline when it came down to standing up against police brutality and excessive force. And I understand where Black Lives Matter, what they’re attempting to do. I understand that,” Tio Hardiman, executive director of Violence Interrupters, said Thursday night.
“But at the same time, we need help to do our best to stop gun violence in Chicago. The entire nation should be outraged when a three-year-old is executed on the streets of Chicago and a 13-year-old young young girl was killed on the west side [of] Chicago as well.”
Hardiman, who was speaking during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Story,” added, “Black Lives Matter, they’re raising millions and millions of dollars. We should have a meeting and see how we can actually work together in order to stem the tide of gun violence in the inner city.”
The meeting would be about “how we can organize and unify together,” he explained later.
Black Lives Matter Chicago didn’t return requests for comment.
Demands include establishing an elected Civilian Police Accountability Council, publishing the names of any police officers involved in killing anyone in Chicago, and defunding the police.
Ten murders took place in Chicago from June 8 to June 14, the last week statistics were available from the Chicago Police Department.
The city has seen 268 murders so far this year, a 22 percent increase from the same time period last year.
Chicago Police Supt. David Brown told reporters Sunday: “Bullets don’t just tear apart the things they strike. Bullets also tear apart families. Bullets destroy neighborhoods and they ruin any sense of safety in a community.”
