Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot proposed an ordinance Tuesday that would allow civil lawsuits to seize property from gang members and fine them if they have taken part in street violence.
The “Victims’ Justice Ordinance” would allow judges or court officers to impose fines of $10,000 for each offense and seize “any property that is directly or indirectly used or intended for use in any manner to facilitate street gang-related activity.”
The ordinance is expected to draw pushback from social justice groups and civil attorneys due to possible disproportionate targeting of black and Latino demographics, the Chicago Tribune reports.
AT LEAST 44 SHOT AND SEVEN KILLED IN WEEKEND VIOLENCE ACROSS CHICAGO
“To be very blunt and clear, we are going after their blood money,” Lightfoot said. She added that it “directly targets the gang leadership” and is not meant to target average gang members.
“The city further finds that street gangs are often controlled by criminally sophisticated adults who take advantage of our youth by intimidating and coercing them into membership by employing them as drug couriers, and by using them to commit brutal crimes against persons and property to further the financial benefit and dominance of the street gangs,” the ordinance says.
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The ordinance, introduced during a city council meeting, would have proceeded to the council’s Public Safety Committee for a vote, but Northwest Side Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez used a parliamentary procedure to move it to the council Rules Committee, likely delaying its possible approval. Now it must advance out of that panel before being sent to the Public Safety Committee for another voting process.
“Unfortunately, it also became clear that not all of the members of the city council understand how vitally important it is for us to protect victims of gang violence, and they will have to answer to their constituents for that,” Lightfoot said.
Violence overall in the city shot up during the coronavirus pandemic.
