As part of his ceaseless effort to find other people to blame for the bad shit that happens on his watch, Mayor Emanuel jetted home from his ten-day vacation in Cuba on Tuesday to announce that police have to do a better job of responding to “mental health crises.”
But you know, I think the mayor ought to be a little reluctant to ever mention the words “mental” and “health” in the same sentence, given his rather shameful policies on this issue.
Mayor Rahm closed those clinics—including ones in Woodlawn, Auburn Gresham, and Back of the Yards—without discussion or debate. He didn’t even feel compelled to concoct one of his infamous bogus justifications that no one really believes anyway.
No, Mayor Rahm said he had to do what he had to do to shave a few million from the budget. Even though it’s still not clear how much, if anything, closing those clinics saved us.
The worst part came after people took to the streets to protest his clinic closings. That’s when Mayor Emanuel sent in some undercover police officers to spy on the protesters.
But I do know you can’t get help from a clinic once it’s closed.
