Mayoral candidate Carol Mosely Braun called a news conference at the scene to deplore the violence, and to say -- as she did two days ago -- that police department numbers showing a drop in violent crime are misleading, and that there's still a big problem.
"We can fix the problem. This is not insurmountable. This is something we can do something about," Mosely Braun said.
Asked what those "somethings" would be, Mosely Braun said she'd go back to the future: more beat cops, more jobs and re-emphasizing mentoring programs like Midnight Basketball.
Then came questions about her tax returns.
"There's a statement. You have it. That's all there is to it," Mosely Braun said.
Mosely Braun released the last two years of her tax returns Tuesday showing that in 2008 her losses topped $220,000, largely due to financial demands brought by her company that makes organic tea and coffee.
In 2009, Mosely Braun's return reports that she earned no wages. The returns are not accompanied by any attachments.
"Some of you may work for the Trib or the Sun times, and the last time I looked, the Trib was in bankruptcy. We did fine. I struggled. I didn't fire anybody. I didn't lay people off. I did the best I could and I made that little business work, and it's still working, so thank you very much."
A Mosely Braun spokesman said there will be no further discussion of Braun's tax returns or detailed finances of her business, which is privately held.
From the candidate: a reprimand to reporters for focusing more on taxes than violent crime.
"There's some kid laying up dead, and you can't even talk about this. Come on guys be responsible yourselves," Mosely Braun said.
