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Rauner Tours Englewood Blue; Discusses Jobs with Business Leaders

 Gov. Bruce Rauner (r.) talks to Englewood Blue Chief Technology Officer Bruce Montgomery Monday at Englewood Blue.
Gov. Bruce Rauner (r.) talks to Englewood Blue Chief Technology Officer Bruce Montgomery Monday at Englewood Blue.
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DNAinfo/Andrea V. Watson

ENGLEWOOD — Gov. Bruce Rauner toured a business incubator in Englewood on Monday afternoon.

He met with leaders of the Greater Englewood Community Development Corporation, which houses Englewood Blue, to discuss bringing more manufacturing jobs to Illinois.

"When you talk about some of the violence in communities like Englewood, we made the point that in communities of no hope and no careers, violence is just the bi-product, it's going to happen," said George Wright, Midwest region director of community development, Citi Bank and Englewood CDC chairman.

"So he resonated with that, he agreed with it."

Rauner wanted to visit to learn more about the work the Englewood business organization has been doing and to see if the model can be replicated, Wright said. The governor also talked about the Whole Foods Market, which is slated to open in August. He was supposed to tour the the outside of the building, but ran out of time so the visit was cut short.

Young activist Ja'Mal Green interrupted Rauner's tour. As the governor walked from the meeting room to Englewood Blue, which is on the same floor, Green started shouting out questions. He asked Rauner when would the state approve a budget. His questions were met with silence and eventually he walked away.

Leaders with the Englewood CDC said that he wasn't invited, he just showed up.

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