"We have a large, disproportionate number of people who are impoverished. We have a disproportionate number of people who are incarcerated, we have a disproportionate number of people who are unemployed, the educational system has totally failed, and all of this primarily has been under Democratic regimes in our neighborhoods.” Brooks said from the office of New Beginnings Church of Chicago, his own, Wednesday morning. “So, the question for me becomes, how can our neighborhoods be doing so awful and so bad when we’re so loyal to this party who is in power? It’s a matter of them taking complete advantage of our vote."
Brooks explained that he was inviting Republican candidates to the area not to secure votes for the GOP, but to help his community be better informed voters. But he also made clear that he believes that the Democratic Party has proven that they have a "failing plan."
"A business owner wouldn’t allow the person who runs it to remain in charge for 50 years, constantly running it into the ground," said Brooks.
Since he first moved to Chicago 20 years ago, Brooks said he's watched the black community on the South Side continue to vote Democrat regardless of outcome. The result has been the Democratic Party taking the black voted for granted. "And we don’t want anyone from any party taking us for granted," he said.
After a time of keeping his opinion to himself, he decided he must speak up. He has since made his anti-Democrat leanings clear, at one point backing Illinois Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and frequently speaking out against the destructive policies of the left.
Glawe highlights some of Brooks' particularly conservative stances, including being opposed to many social programs, anti-union, and pro-2nd Amendment:
He spoke in strong terms about unions — “I can’t tell you how many guys come to me and tell they’re locked out of the trade unions for this reason for that,” Brooks said. “And in Chicago, the unions control everything.”
The pastor is in favor of legally possessing guns, even on the bullet-riddled South Side. And he blames the breakdown of the black family, partly due to social programs that “penalize” those who wish to marry and prevent them from continuing to receive government assistance, for the culture of violence that is so pervasive in urban areas from Woodlawn to West Baltimore.
"And that doesn’t even begin to get into the music and entertainment aspects of it," Brooks said.
But Brooks told Glawe that he is not alone in his unorthodox positions. "In quiet areas, this is something we talk about," he said.
Glawe notes that so far Rand Paul is the only GOP candidate to accept Brooks' offer, having come to speak to Brooks' congregation and afterward taking a walk with the pastor through a South Side apartment complex.
