HR0493LRB102 20622 MST 29493 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Gang violence throughout the State of Illinois is
3a threat to the public safety and the well-being of its
4citizens; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The Illinois Streetgang Terrorism Omnibus
6Prevention Act defines "gang" as any combination,
7confederation, alliance, network, conspiracy, understanding,
8or other similar conjoining, in law or in fact, of three or
9more persons with an established hierarchy that through its
10membership or through the agency of any member engages in a
11course or pattern of criminal activity and are not
12constitutionally protected; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has a responsibility to
14ensure that every family is safe from harm's way, especially
15when our court system has extensive records of previous
16convictions, violations, and offenses from suspected gang
17members; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown
19attributes the recent data from the Federal Bureau of
20Investigation that shows homicides in Chicago increased 56%
21from 2019 to 2020 to gangs fighting over turf; and
 

 

 

HR0493- 2 -LRB102 20622 MST 29493 r

1    WHEREAS, Gang activity extends beyond the City of Chicago,
2with several hundred gangs operating in Illinois, affecting
3the well-being and safety of citizens in the entire state; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt
5Organizations Act (RICO) allows for federal prosecution and
6civil penalties for racketeering activity performed as part of
7an ongoing criminal enterprise, including, but not limited to,
8kidnapping, bribery, murder, money laundering, and drug
9trafficking; and
 
10    WHEREAS, In 2012, Illinois passed the Illinois Street Gang
11and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Law
12(Illinois RICO) to empower local and state officials to
13prosecute gang members and charge them as members of criminal
14organizations; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Gang activity often involves the racketeering
16activity that the federal RICO law and Illinois RICO are
17designed to combat; and
 
18    WHEREAS, There is an urgent need to aggressively protect
19Illinois families from gang activity, their racketeering
20efforts, and the violence that their behavior breeds from
21Chicago to Cairo, from Rockford to Champaign, and from the
22Metro East to Bourbonnais; and
 

 

 

HR0493- 3 -LRB102 20622 MST 29493 r

1    WHEREAS, It is in the best interests of the citizens of
2Illinois to target and prosecute gang activity to the full
3extent of the law because gang activity increases violence and
4crime across the state; therefore, be it
 
5    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
6HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
7we urge the Illinois State's Attorneys to prosecute gang
8activity under Illinois RICO across the entirety of Illinois.