An Illinois Democrat said a proposal to arrest gang members who commit crimes is an "upper middle-class, elitist, white boy solution" to the problem, reports Politico.
Rep. Bobby Rush offered that assessment in response to a proposal offered by Sen. Mark Kirk (R., Ill.) to address the state’s growing issue with gang violence.
Kirk "had suggested the federal government spend $30 million to battle gangs and use part of that money to ‘crush a major urban gang’ like the Gangster Disciples, the largest gang in the Chicago area," Politico reported.
Rush responded by saying that the proposition was an "upper middle-class, elitist, white boy solution to a problem he knows nothing about," according to the report.
"It’s a sensational, headline-grabbing, empty, simplistic, unworkable approach," Rush said, according to the report.
Kirk’s office responded: "The senator will continue to work with Sen. Durbin, Mayor Emanuel, law enforcement and the entire congressional delegation to keep Illinois families safe."