CHICAGO (AP) — A spokeswoman for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says the mayor’s 17-year-old son was mugged near the family’s home.
Spokeswoman Kelley Quinn said Saturday that the mayor’s son, Zach, had “injuries that required medical treatment, but was able to join the family for a long planned trip.” She says the mayor is focused on his son’s well-being and requested the news media respect the family’s privacy.
The mayor and his family were headed for a vacation in Chile this weekend.
Chicago Police spokesman Thomas Sweeney didn’t name the victim but says police are investigating an attack Friday night near the mayor’s home. He says two males grabbed the victim, took his phone and fled.
Emanuel, a former White House chief of staff, is running for re-election in February.
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Well, I’m sorry to hear that. No one deserves to have violence visited upon them, whether it’s Emanuel’s son, or the west side or south side kid who is roughed up- or worse- by the cop whom Emanuel supports, whatever the crime.
Spokeswoman Kelley Quinn said Saturday that the mayor’s son, Zach, had “injuries that required medical treatment, but was able to join the family for a long planned trip.”
Band-aid anyone ?
This is not the first time someone’s been mugged near Rahm’s house. Though it’s still a safe neighborhood (I live nearby), there’s a very low police presence. CPD is sorely understaffed but, rather than hire more cops, Rahm moves them from low-crime wards (like ours) to the crime-ridden ones. Moreover, he lives very close to an El stop and a major thoroughfare, providing a quick getaway on public transit. Earlier this year, in the middle of the day, a woman was mugged right up the block from Rahm’s, Thugs threw bleach on her, then took her laptop. It took an inordinately long time for cops to respond, especially since Rahm’s 24-hour detail are not allowed to leave their post for any reason.
Moreover, not blaming the victim, but like 99% of the muggings in my neighborhood, the teen was walking at night, talking on a cellphone. People don’t realize that the light from that phone sends a message to thugs that you’re a distracted easy target. Last March, walking home at night, I was trailed for a little over a block. I regularly made it clear that I was aware of him and he eventually changed direction. Less than 30 minutes later, in the same spot, a woman - talking on a cellphone - was robbed at gunpoint.