Today President Barack Obama gave an emotional 26 minute speech Hyde Park Academy in Chicago, Illinois regarding the middle class, economy and gun-control in an effort to highlight the “ladders to opportunity” theme from his State of the Union Address.
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The president addressed the rampant gun violence in Chicago, where Hadiya Pendleton was shot earlier this month just a mile from his home — and a week after participating in the inaugural festivities in Washington.
“Last year there were over 443 murders with a firearm in this city, and 65 of them were 18 and under,” he said. “That’s the equivalent of a Newtown every four months.”
“This is not just a gun issue but also an issue of the communities that we’re building,” Obama added, returning to his roots as a community organizer and decrying “the self-destructive impulses and the senseless violence.”
Thre president also talked about an expansion of early childhood education, the growth of career programs and tax breaks to businesses that hire and invest in urban neighborhoods.
“No solution we offer will be perfect,” he said. “Perfection has never been our goal. Our goal has been to try and make whatever difference we can.”
Obama also met with the young men from Hyde Park Academy, telling the crowd that he was proud of their work and progress.
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“These are all exceptional young men. I’m proud of them because a lot of them have had some issues, that part of the reason (they) are in the program. I explained that I had issues too when I was their age.
“I had an environment that was a little bit more forgiving. When I screwed up, the consequences were a little less harsh than when kids on the South Side.”
The president also talked about the importance of fatherhood, telling the crowd that he wished he had a father.
“If a child grows up with parents who have work and some education and can be role models,” the child gets “a foundation” that helps them succeed, he said.
Watch the video above to see what else the POTUS had to say!
SOURCE: White House
