Kirk, Rush meet about Chicago gang problem

Two lawmakers from Illinois who had expressed contrasting views on how to stem gang violence in Chicago sounded conciliatory after a Washington, D.C., meeting to discuss the issue.

Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk and Democratic U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush met for about an hour at Kirk’s office Tuesday. They later released a joint statement saying they remain friends.

Last week, Kirk prompted a sharp rebuke from Rush after suggesting mass arrests of Gangster Disciples street gang members. Rush called Kirk’s idea an “upper-middle-class, elitist white boy solution.”

Their statement says the men are “more committed than ever” to reducing gang-related violence.

Spokesmen for both legislators said Kirk also agreed to tour neighborhoods in Rush’s district on Chicago’s South Side as he examined the gang-violence issue. A date wasn’t immediately set.