ORDINANCE v JVV ^ XU
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago is a home rule unit of government pursuant to the 1970 Illinois Constitution, Article VII, Section 6(a); and
WHEREAS, pursuant to its home rule power, the City of Chicago may exercise any power and perform any function relating to its government and affairs including the power to regulate for the protection ofthe public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, in light of the recent acts of terrorism on behalf of neo-Nazis and White Supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, which left one woman dead and dozens injured, the City of Chicago must prepare and upgrade any necessary public safety measures in anticipation of similar protests and rallies: and
WHEREAS, Virginia is a preemption state that also allows "'open carry," which led to the events the nation witnessed in Charlottesville, where paramilitary militias appeared as part of the ''Unite the Right" rally; and
WHEREAS, we have already seen violence, even death, at these rallies, but the potential is far worse if participants continue to carry guns and other weapons into such confrontational situations; and
WHEREAS, "open carry" can also be used as an act of intimidation, for example, during the "Unite the Right" event, neo-Nazis carried firearms and chanted anti-Semitic slogans as they marched past a Charlottesville synagogue where 40 worshippers were so frightened that they felt compelled to leave from a back door; and
WHEREAS, in April of 2016, opposing protesters carrying firearms at a Dallas Nation of Islam mosque engaged in a tense confrontation that, fortunately, ended without the discharge of any firearms; and
WHEREAS, allowing the display of firearms during these types of demonstrations puts the dedicated men and women of the local police departments at a disadvantage and hinders their ability to protect rally attendees and the general public; and
WHEREAS, the City of Boston took the right approach prior to a controversial "Free Speech" ra...
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