Age: 63

Occupation: Alderman

Alma Mater: SUNY Buffalo

Michele Smith, the Alderman of the 43rd Ward of Chicago, has been in office for almost seven years. She discussed gun legislation reform and Parker’s March 14 walkout.

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What was your initial reaction to the shooting and killing of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida?

The shooting happened the day after the Commander of the 18th District [of Chicago] was murdered. Of course, I was shocked, but also very angry that the country hasn’t done anything about gun violence.

According to CNN, there have already been 14 school shootings in 2018. Why does this keep happening? What is the core problem?

I think there’s a lot of disaffected youth. To some extent, there always has been. I can tell you one thing: I think the access to guns and the belief that that’s a way to relieve yourself of hurt and pain is a problem unique to America. What’s the difference between our country and any other Western nation? It’s easy access to guns.

As Alderman of the 43rd Ward, what efforts have you made regarding gun violence on both local and city levels? What still needs to be changed?

Even before I was Alderman, I was active in an organization called United Power for Action and Justice. I was one of the people on the team that closed a gun shop called Bell’s Gun [& Sport Shop] that was notorious for being a place where guns that were found on crime scenes were sold. Gun dealers who weren’t ethical allowed straw purchases.

I’ve been a supporter of anti-gun measures since being Alderman. The city of Chicago was involved in intense litigation. The city of Chicago fought all the way up to the Supreme Court to fight for having Chicago essentially be a gun-free zone. I instructed all the businesses in our area to post the signs saying that guns aren’t allowed on the premises. Now, I’ve been advocating for all the new state gun laws, including the gun dealer licensing law. Each of us has the obligation to do everything that we can do, which is why I’m so proud that Parker students are taking a stand. We can put our faces to this, and our time, and say that this has to stop.

Yesterday, Governor Rauner vetoed the Gun Dealer Licensing Law. I hope at the rally today, the students make a strong statement to override the veto. It can be done.

There are activities later today… some people are writing letters to Parland students, others are writing letters to their representatives… I think that’s a really cool part of the day.

Yes. I agree with you.  If people running for office don’t support these measures, they should be voted out of office. That is the most critical way to take a stance.

But there’s also backlash from students who are saying that reacting to the Parkland shooting in particular ignores other mass shootings and year-round gun violence in Chicago.

Are we saying we shouldn’t act now because we didn’t act before? Thank goodness we’re acting. A lot of times people don’t act, not because they don’t care about this issue, but because they don’t see a path of how to fix it. And many movements have occurred that way, where you just don’t know what to do. There have always been voices at Parker that have their oppositions. Every movement reaches a critical mass, so I applaud the students.

Why are you walking out?

I support the efforts of Francis Parker students and students everywhere to take matters into their own hands. The adults haven’t fixed this, and that’s something to be ashamed of. I’m very proud of Parker students to walk out–students at any school who choose to do this, I certainly support.