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Trump Likens Chicago to 'War-Torn Country' In Presidential Debate

By Heather Cherone | September 26, 2016 9:01pm | Updated on September 26, 2016 10:13pm
 Donald Trump
Donald Trump
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CHICAGO — Chicago is like a "warn-torn" country, Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump said during the first presidential debate Monday night.

"It is terrible there," Trump said, reiterating his call for stop-and-frisk to be used to reduce violent crime in Chicago.

RELATED: Is Chicago More Dangerous Than A 'War Zone?' Not Even Close

Trump dismissed debate moderator Lester Holt's interjection that a judge has ruled stop-and-frisk unconstitutional. Once popular in New York, the practice was deemed unconstitutional by a federal judge as it was applied by police there and has been blamed for escalating tensions between police and minorities.

RELATED: Trump Wants Stop-And-Frisk in 'Out of Control' Chicago

Trump also decried the number of shootings and killings in Chicago since President Barack Obama took office in 2009.

"It's terrible what's going on in Chicago," Trump said. "And Chicago's not the only one."

There have been about 4,000 murders in Chicago since Obama took office on Jan. 20, 2009.

"We need to take guns away from gangs," Trump said.

Trump also said there had been 3,000 shootings in Chicago this year.

In response to Trump's statement, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton called for "common sense" gun regulations and an increase in spending to retrain police officers to reduce what she called "implicit bias."

Clinton said she supported community policing andthat violent crime rates are half as high as they were in 1991.

The Edgewater native also pledged to address "systemic racism in our criminal justice system."

"Too many young African-American and Latino men ended up in jail for nonviolent offenses, and it's just a fact that if you're a young African-American man, and you do the same thing as a young white man, you are more likely to be arrested, charged, convicted and incarcerated," Clinton said.

Trump also echoed concerns that the surge in violence is due to police officers' low morale after protests prompted by several killings of African-American men by officers.

"Right now, our police, in many cases, are afraid to do anything," Trump said. "We have to protect our inner cities because African-American communities are being decimated by crime."

RELATED: Chicago Top Cop To Trump: If You Have 'Magic' Plan To Stop Crime, Share It

Clinton also accused Trump of swindling working-class people, including contractors who have sued the GOP candidate for refusing to pay them.Trump responded that the contractors may have not performed their duties correctly.

Clinton referred to her father's Chicago-based drapery business, saying that she is glad he never worked for Trump.

Trump was sued in Chicago by some early investors in Trump Tower who said he reneged on a "friends and family" deal he gave them. 

RELATED: Father of Hillary Clinton Owned Chicago Drapery Business

RELATED: Lester Holt's Chicago connection

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