Chicago's Mayor Richard Daley expressed one of the most disappointing sentiments I have ever heard. An October 29, 2008 article on the Hudson family homicides in the Chicago Sun Times reads, "Daley expresses grief, says tragedy could not have been prevented." According to the article Mayor Daley said, "It happens. But this crime could NEVER have been prevented, unfortunately." (emphasis added). HOGWASH! (my emphasis)

The statement itself is defeatist, fatalistic and almost a shrug. If all chief executives of major cities in this country took this approach to crime and murder in particular, then the crime rate would soar. The comment reeks of a 'boys will be boys' mentality.

According to the Chicago Police Department William Balfour is the only suspect in the October 24, 2008 Hudson triple homicide. Since Balfour has not been charged with any crime, he is presumed innocent. He is shrouded with that presumption and is entitled to every benefit of the doubt unless and until a jury of his peers proves him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

But, if Balfour is eventually charged and convicted, this will be proof positive that Daley was wrong -- that indeed these homicides could have been prevented. Simply put, Balfour a career criminal and a parolee should have been in prison. He should not have been out of jail to commit these horrific crimes. If he were where he belonged, a seven-year-old boy would not have witnessed the murders of his grandmother and uncle, been kidnapped and then shot multiple times.

It appears that at many points the criminal justice system failed the Hudson family. Balfour was sentenced to a term of only seven years for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking, and possession of a stolen vehicle, in spite of the fact that he had a long criminal record. Once paroled, he went to live at the Hudson home. Last May while he was still on parole, Darnell Donerson, Jennifer Hudson's mother and his mother-in-law kicked him out of the family home for drug dealing! There are reports that Balfour threatened Hudson's family at that time.

In June of 2008, he was arrested for cocaine possession. He was stopped after his vehicle turned a corner at a high rate of speed in an area where police were investigating a call of 'shots fired.' The Illinois Department of Corrections was notified of the drug arrest, but a parole supervisor declined to issue a warrant to revoke Balfour's parole and return him to prison.

Although a Chicago judge dismissed the drug charges against Balfour, he could have been returned to prison for the arrest alone. Additionally, Balfour never completed mandated anger management classes. Finally, at 8:30 am on August 27, 2008 a parole agent visited Balfour's home but was refused entry. The agent was told that Balfour was at work but Balfour's boss advised that he was not there and not expected until noon. In spite of these additional violations, Balfour remained on parole.

On the morning of October 24, 2008, neighbors heard gunshots in the vicinity of the Hudson home. The fact that police were not notified is in itself a sad commentary on normalcy of gunshots in Chicago.

Sadly, as a society we have become indifferent to violent crime. Maybe it is because it happens so frequently that we see it as inevitable. I for one, refuse to accept that violent crime is inevitable. I refuse to believe that innocent victims must continue to be slaughtered by criminals who should have been in jail. And I refuse to buy into the mentality that if we sing a hosanna of redemption for career criminals that they will be rehabilitated and all will be well.

I do not suggest that Mayor Daley could have stopped this carnage -- but I do object to the assumption that these homicides could not have been prevented.

As the chief executive of one of the most beautiful and exciting cities in this country, Mayor Daley needs to buy into the reality that we can stop crime -- that we can defeat the "inevitability" of violent crime. Otherwise, he will continue to have the dubious honor of being the chief executive of the homicide capital of America.

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