idea turned into Chicago peace plan Trump praised

[brassmonkey]

Torrence Cooks was stunned last week when he saw a Cleveland-area pastor tell President Donald Trump on live TV that "top gang thugs" in Chicago wanted to work with the new administration to quell the city's relentless gun violence.

A self-styled anti-violence activist, Cooks could hardly believe that he was the supposed "thug" the pastor was referring to or that his simple idea of organizing a field trip to Washington, D.C., had now mushroomed into something much, much bigger.

As he listened to pastor Darrell Scott unravel a lofty plan to reduce the "body count" and heard Trump enthusiastically embrace the idea, it all started to sink in for Cooks, who never thought his efforts would go much beyond the South Side streets where he grew up, let alone be heard by the country's commander in chief.

"It was shocking, yeah," Cooks, 43, told the Tribune in an exclusive interview. "That it made it that far? Like jaw-dropping surprised ... At the end of the day he's the president right now, and if that's who we got to reach out to to get something done for my community, then that's who we reaching out to."

The Tribune met with Cooks - who is identified in court records as a former high-ranking gang member - this week as he is poised to go from a mystery man to the national spotlight.

The fledgling anti-violence effort appears to be the first idea in Chicago to gain even the slightest traction for a president who campaigned on a law-and-order platform and has spoken out about the city's troubling violence half a dozen times since taking office three weeks ago. Trump has promised to fix the problem if Chicago officials can't, but his proposed solutions to the complex, deeply rooted issue have so far been vague and sparse in detail.

According to Cooks, Scott has been in talks with former reality TV star and now-White House staffer Omarosa Manigault and Ben Carson, Trump's pick to run the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, about holding an anti-violence meeting later this month in Chicago.

Whether that ever happens is still anyone's guess. A White House official told the Tribune this week that any meetings Scott is organizing in Chicago are not officially sanctioned by the administration.

Scott, who told the Tribune last week that he understood Cooks was respected on the street and had the "pulse" of the community, did not return calls this week seeking comment. But on Tuesday, he tweeted that he was "in touch with 'Chicago STREET LEADERS'(LoL) daily, as we strategize for the success of the historic summit."

Meanwhile, Cooks' background is sure to be scrutinized. In his lengthy interview with the Tribune - his first public comments on the matter - Cooks repeatedly denied ever being in a gang, even though he was identified by court records and law enforcement sources as a onetime high-ranking member of the Gangster Disciples. His name also surfaced repeatedly at the recent federal Hobos gang trial of several of his former associates, records show.

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[NatalieK]

haha, Trump´ll consider having thugs working the streets to keep the gun violence down.

[Dead]

Follow the money This could work actually.

[baddog]

Originally Posted by GspotProductions

haha, Trump´ll consider having thugs working the streets to keep the gun violence down.

Jeez, you are stupid enough for two people.

[Grapesoda]

Originally Posted by brassmonkey

Torrence Cooks was stunned last week when he saw a Cleveland-area pastor tell President Donald Trump on live TV that "top gang thugs" in Chicago wanted to work with the new administration to quell the city's relentless gun violence.

A self-styled anti-violence activist, Cooks could hardly believe that he was the supposed "thug" the pastor was referring to or that his simple idea of organizing a field trip to Washington, D.C., had now mushroomed into something much, much bigger.

As he listened to pastor Darrell Scott unravel a lofty plan to reduce the "body count" and heard Trump enthusiastically embrace the idea, it all started to sink in for Cooks, who never thought his efforts would go much beyond the South Side streets where he grew up, let alone be heard by the country's commander in chief.

"It was shocking, yeah," Cooks, 43, told the Tribune in an exclusive interview. "That it made it that far? Like jaw-dropping surprised ... At the end of the day he's the president right now, and if that's who we got to reach out to to get something done for my community, then that's who we reaching out to."

The Tribune met with Cooks - who is identified in court records as a former high-ranking gang member - this week as he is poised to go from a mystery man to the national spotlight.

The fledgling anti-violence effort appears to be the first idea in Chicago to gain even the slightest traction for a president who campaigned on a law-and-order platform and has spoken out about the city's troubling violence half a dozen times since taking office three weeks ago. Trump has promised to fix the problem if Chicago officials can't, but his proposed solutions to the complex, deeply rooted issue have so far been vague and sparse in detail.

According to Cooks, Scott has been in talks with former reality TV star and now-White House staffer Omarosa Manigault and Ben Carson, Trump's pick to run the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, about holding an anti-violence meeting later this month in Chicago.

Whether that ever happens is still anyone's guess. A White House official told the Tribune this week that any meetings Scott is organizing in Chicago are not officially sanctioned by the administration.

Scott, who told the Tribune last week that he understood Cooks was respected on the street and had the "pulse" of the community, did not return calls this week seeking comment. But on Tuesday, he tweeted that he was "in touch with 'Chicago STREET LEADERS'(LoL) daily, as we strategize for the success of the historic summit."

Meanwhile, Cooks' background is sure to be scrutinized. In his lengthy interview with the Tribune - his first public comments on the matter - Cooks repeatedly denied ever being in a gang, even though he was identified by court records and law enforcement sources as a onetime high-ranking member of the Gangster Disciples. His name also surfaced repeatedly at the recent federal Hobos gang trial of several of his former associates, records show.

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if this is real, great start!