Chicago Clergy Talks Gun Violence on CNN

By Prescott Carlson in Miscellaneous on Jul 5, 2010 8:45PM

CNN's T.J. Holmes sat down with four members of Chicago's clergy to discuss gun violence over the weekend on the Faces of Faith program. Rev. Stephen Thurston from New Covenant Ministry Baptist Church, Minister Ishmael Muhammad from Mosque Maryam, Rev. (and State Senator) James Meeks from Salem Baptist Church and the ubiquitous Father Michael Pfleger from St. Sabina made up the panel discussing the causes and possible solutions to the city's kids getting killed in the streets.

The four men offered up most of the usual platitudes about communities "taking back the streets," and Minister Muhammad said Chicago residents need more God in their lives, calling it a "crime" that children are not allowed to pray in school, yet recite the Pledge of Allegiance that mentions God in it, and that our young people are "chasing after money that has God's name printed on it." One could argue he actually made the case to have those mentions removed, but whatever.

Father Pfleger surprisingly had the most reasonable approach to the situation, putting together a fund to offer rewards to people that help shooting offenders become apprehended. He also rattled off a list of some of the true causes of crime and violence -- broken families, poor education, and unemployment -- but then couldn't resist throwing in a half-assed association to Tea Partiers yelling at health care town halls as somehow teaching youth to be violent.