Posted on 01/11/2019 5:19:49 PM PST by Impala64ssa
Ed Burke, Chicago’s longest-serving alderman and one if its most powerful, was charged with extortion in federal court on Thursday. The chairman of the city’s finance committee, who’s been in office for fifty years after succeeding his father, knows a thing or two about money.
According to federal investigators, the former city cop used his power to tie up the business licensing process for a southwest Chicago Burger King restaurant to force the owners to steer their legal business to his firm. From the Sun Times:
After the company struggled to have its permits approved, it agreed to steer business to Burke’s firm, according to the complaint. When (city employee Meaghan) Synowiecki asked whether he wanted business from all of its Illinois locations or just those in Cook County, Burke allegedly replied, “Umm, all Illinois locations.”
That was Dec. 19, 2017. An application for a driveway permit from the company was approved the same day, according to the complaint.
But in an almost Leland Yee-like twist, when the feds raided the allegedly corrupt alderman’s offices, they found the long-time gun control proponent was armed to the teeth.
…[F]ederal prosecutors revealed Thursday that nearly two dozen firearms were discovered in Ald. Ed Burke’s offices during their raids in November.
It’s still not known if the guns that were found in November were discovered at Burke’s ward office or at City Hall, but it’s hard to miss the irony of a staunch gun control advocate having to turn over 23 guns as a condition of his bond.
That’s right. Alderman Burke, the embodiment of the city’s corrupt political machine, a man who had campaigned for decades on gun control and Second Amendment restrictions, was found to have 23 firearms in his office.
From outlawing cell phone cases shaped like guns to bans on concealed weapons in places that serve alcohol and broadening the gun offender registry in Chicago, Ald. Ed Burke’s aldermanic record has defined him as an ardent supporter of gun control.
That’s why many people did a double take when federal prosecutors announced that investigators had found nearly two dozen guns not in his home but in his offices.
There’s no word how many he may have had in his home. If anti-gun politicians didn’t have double standards, they wouldn’t have any at all.
This is yet another fine example of the authoritarian ruling class living the “laws are for thee, but not for me” life. Alderman Burke also appears to have violated one of Chicago’s many gun-free zones by keeping guns in his city hall offices.
(430 ILCS 66/65) Sec. 65. Prohibited areas. (a) A licensee under this Act shall not knowingly carry a firearm on or into: (5) Any building or portion of a building under the control of a unit of local government.
But Burke may have benefitted from a special exemption.
Signs posted outside (city hall) prohibit anyone – even a concealed carry permit holder – from bringing a gun into the government building, but as an alderman, Burke may have enjoyed special privileges.
An 1872 law designating aldermen as “peace officers” allows Burke to carry a weapon.
State records show the former cop has also been a licensed private detective and a licensed private security contractor since the 80s, with a valid Firearms Control Card.
Of course.
Facing the extortion charge, Burke now finds himself in very good company. Four of Illinois’ last seven governors have gotten voc-ed experience making license plates in the big house. And nearly three dozen aldermen have been convicted and sentenced to prison over the last 40+ years. In fact, “a common joke in Chicago is that so many aldermen had gone to prison that when they saw each other behind bars they’d holler, ‘Quorum call!'”
Same as it ever was.
See, see! The NRA gun lobby again!
Yep. They really aren’t against guns. They are just against normal people owning guns.
Look I don’t smoke dope, but I like to keep 5or6 pounds around Incase company shows up.
They should check serial numbers. Bet they’re stolen. Not my guns. They’re evidence.
“Facing the extortion charge, Burke now finds himself in very good company. Four of Illinois’ last seven governors have gotten voc-ed experience making license plates in the big house. And nearly three dozen aldermen have been convicted and sentenced to prison over the last 40+ years. In fact, “a common joke in Chicago is that so many aldermen had gone to prison that when they saw each other behind bars they’d holler, ‘Quorum call!’”
Same as it ever was.”
And yet in another thread a day or so ago, Illinois was not listed in the listing of the “Ten Worst States for Rights Suppression!”
Perhaps we should see how many are friend Feinstein is hording.
Guess WHO has a concealed carry permit..?
Gun grabbers with small arsenals and open border zealots with mansions protected by 30 foot high walls! I think there’s a word for that kind of thing.
Burke had 23 guns in his office ? Was he expecting the Zombie apocalypse ?
For a chuckle, check out this thread from November 2018.
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3709350/posts
“Ed Burke, Chicago’s longest-serving alderman and one if its most powerful, was charged with extortion “
The guy is a gut pile...just routine behavior for shitcago politicians and bureaucrats.
Would that be our friend Feinstein? And how many is Feinstein hoarding?
NONE for thee, but plenty for me!!!
That’s the socialist/lib creed.
I cannot stomach these hypocritical POSs.
Liberals make laws to punish their political enemies, not to obey them.
If they started hanging bastards like this, like they used to, I’d bet there’d be less of this kind of corruption.
Any relation to Jimmy “The Gent” Burke?
Anyhow it doesn't matter its okay for him to have guns because he is part of the ruling gentry.
The area where this alleged shakedown took place which is miles away from his original 14th ward boundaries is the result of how Burke has been able to keep in office. Edmund Burke has been a Chicago Alderman for 50 years. Burke’s brother ran for state rep and lost. His wife is a judge.
His ward ,14th, was originally known as “Back of The Yards” Once the home of the famous Chicago Stock Yards where most food processors along with employee demographics have since relocated. It was a compact area almost square composed mostly of single and 2 story frame and brick family dwellings mixed with scattered brick apartment units.
His ward now consists of areas carved from the 12th and 23rd wards miles from the original 14th boundaries.
When redistricted along with several other wards. Chicago had neighborhoods divided to create “Hispanic”residential sections going to Hispanic aldermanic and congressional (Gutierez) candidates and blacks going to black candidates.
That has had the effect of breaking up a contiguous geographic continuity and community identity. Because the wards affected which are really like small towns have had sections broken up into areas where if a problem arises in a given section of street which has one way traffic only may be two way a block down because it’s in a different ward. It has also played hell on zoning and because of the disruption of jurisdictions with the administration of city services such as streets and sanitation which the alderman (salary $120.000 plus allocations on local projects) do oversee and have input over.
Here was part of the cause and result of those ward re-mappings. . The federal government Under policies created by the dems and continued on warily by Bush, discarded the 20% down payment requirement of home loans. Directed banks guaranteed by Fanny Mae and and Freddy Mac to grant no money down home ownership loans..This led to a massive change in demographics and in many cases loan defaults that created areas of abandoned single dwelling units.
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