Far South Side Ald. Carrie Austin (34th) appealed to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan on Tuesday to make Roseland and West Pullman the next target for his anti-violence initiative.
Austin questioned why the 80-year-old Farrakhan and his army of men, known as the Fruit of Islam, had taken their appeal to the streets of South Shore before showing up in Area 2, which includes the West Pullman and Roseland areas besieged by gang violence.
Not sure if the "Area 2" quote is Austin or reporter Fran Spielman, but Austin hangs it all there later in the article:
Austin said they projected a positive message.
“When I see Farrakhan, it reminds me of the movie, ‘Malcolm X’ because those gentlemen are well-dressed, learned men and they are disciplined. That’s something our kids can take notice of…,” she said. “Our young men don’t think they’ll live past 21 and those that are 21 are not in sight. That’s sad for them not to have the thought of a future. This can teach them there can be another life.”
Really? Reminds you of Malcolm X? Evidently, she's forgotten or never learned that Louis is credited by Malcolm's family with being on the safe end of a shotgun during Malcolm's killing. In fact, Malcolm's daughter was charged with hiring an assassin to kill Louis way back in the 1990's for that belief. Even Farrakhan's own words lead most to believe that if he wasn't wielding a shotgun himself that day, he knows who did, assisted in creating the atmosphere that led to the killing and abetted in the cover up afterwards.