Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel shuts down 50 schools, but wants to buy a new stadium

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel shuts down 50 schools, but wants to buy a new stadium

From Your Black World

President Obama’s former chief of staff had a majority of support from African-Americans in his 2011 mayoral race. Emanuel won 59-percent of the Black vote in the 2011 mayoral race.

Now, however, it seems that there’s been a sea change, with many African-Americans losing confidence in Chicago’s mayor.

With crime in Chicago at record levels and the mayor announcing dozens of school closings, many former Emanuel supporters are expressing buyer’s remorse.

President Obama said that Emanuel would make a fine mayor, and many Chicago residents ran with that endorsement, but now they’re regretting that decision.

You wouldn’t know that Emanuel won by such a large margin if you asked many Black people in the city how they’re feeling today. Chicago’s murder rate has set new records, unemployment is high, and Emanuel has promised to close dozens of Chicago schools.

“You’re hurting my community and I have a problem with that,” Chicago Public Schools parent Michelle Young told a local ABC news affiliate.

Black people in Chicago have also noted that most of the schools slated to be closed are in Black neighborhoods.

“Why do we have to have 50 kids in a classroom? They don’t have it in the white neighborhood,” Young said.

“He came in under the Obama handshake but he won’t be given that same luxury in another two years if things don’t begin to change,” political consultant Sean Howard said.