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Cubs Victory A Bright Spot During A Tough Year In Chicago, Rahm Says

By Heather Cherone | November 3, 2016 4:11pm | Updated on November 4, 2016 10:40am
 Mayor Rahm Emanuel — after just a couple of hours of sleep after the Cubs World Series victory Wednesday — grew emotional while talking about the last year in Chicago.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel — after just a couple of hours of sleep after the Cubs World Series victory Wednesday — grew emotional while talking about the last year in Chicago.
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DNAinfo/Heather Cherone

ENGLEWOOD — Mayor Rahm Emanuel — with less than a couple of hours of sleep after the Chicago Cubs World Series victory — said the team's historic win was a bright spot in an otherwise difficult year in Chicago.

But Emanuel said it didn't take a Cubs victory for true Chicagoans to know that their city was more than what it appears — despite 78 murders in October alone.

"We all already had pride in the city of Chicago," Emanuel said.

But there is no doubt that the city "has a crime problem," the mayor said at an event to showcase a partnership between government, community organizations and businesses designed to breathe new life into Englewood. That persistent violence has changed how the city is viewed from the outside, Emanuel said.

The event also turned into a celebration of the Cubs first World Series championship in 108 years.

Wearing an official championship hat he donned while celebrating on the field in Cleveland after the game 7 nail-biter, Emanuel grew hoarse acknowledging the obstacles facing many Chicago teens and young adults.

"Our kids are good kids," Emanuel said. "We owe them a chance to do right."

Revisiting themes he first sounded in September when he delivered a major speech about violence, Emanuel touted his own efforts to extend the school day for Chicago Public School students and expand expand full-day kindergarten.

"The deck was stacked against them," Emanuel said, pleading with the crowd to cut him some slack after just 1-½ hours of sleep.

The surge in violence comes as Emanuel and police department leaders work to restore a breach between the department and Chicagoans spotlighted by the release of dashcam video of the police officer who fatally shot 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times.

That incident prompted a federal investigation of the Chicago Police Department which is expected to be completed in the next several months.

Emanuel said the Cubs' success should serve as a "lesson to the city of Chicago that young men from different countries can work together for a shared goal, a shared passion."

Emanuel also praised the hordes of fans who flocked to Wrigleyville to celebrate the victory without causing widespread damage to nearby businesses. Only a handful of arrests were reported, officials said.

"It was sublime," Emanuel said. "I can't wait for next season."

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