Rioting and murder follow Gov. Pritzker’s denial of crime stats.
Friday night’s official Christmas tree lighting in Chicago quickly went from celebration to chaos when a pre-planned “Teen Takeover” turned violent. Roughly 300 teenagers reportedly began rioting in the downtown and central business district, an area known as the Loop. In two separate shootings within one hour, eight people were wounded and another killed. The victims ranged in age from 13 to 18, and the one who died was 14. One police officer was also hospitalized after several police officers were attacked with mace and stun guns, according to the Second Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins, who posted on X regarding the incident.
Mayor Brandon Johnson, a Democrat, quickly blamed it on “too many guns on the street” and called it a setback. He said in a statement:
“Because of the reckless behavior of a few individuals, we have families devastated and our downtown residents are hesitant to leave their own homes. I’m the first person to recognize that we have more work to do in this city to provide safe spaces for our young people. But these type [sic] of violent gatherings can never be an alternative, nor can they be normalized. We need parents, guardians, and other responsible adults to do their best to accompany young people during large, unsanctioned gatherings where weapons are likely to be present.”
Chaos in Chicago
A group of 300 teens is hardly “a few individuals.” What happened in the Windy City Friday, November 21, was not a surprise to either Mayor Johnson or the Chicago police. Johnson admitted the so-called “Teen Takeover” had been advertised on social media. The gatherings, called trends, have been happening for years. Young people who have participated in them told WBEZ Chicago they are attracted to these events, in part, because there aren’t many alternatives for recreation in their neighborhoods or that they don’t feel safe.
This week’s shootings come just one month after Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, also a Democrat, pushed back against FOX’s Bret Baier, who asked the governor why Chicago had the highest murder rate of all the big cities in America. Pritzker denied that point, arguing that Chicago didn’t even feature in the top 30 and continued to talk over the host as Baier tried to correct him. When a graphic of a map showing 2024 FBI crime data was shown, which indicated Chicago was actually top on the list with 17.47 murders per 100,000 people, Pritzker tried to spin the numbers. He said:
“Very importantly, we’ve been doing the things that are necessary to bring crime down, right? We’ve invested in community violence interruption. We’ve invested in police. I’ve added more state police than any governor in quite a long time. It’s very important that we do both of those things and more to invest in communities so that we bring crime down. We’re doing that. You know who’s doing the opposite? Donald Trump.”
And there it is, the true cause of all wrongs, at least according to so many progressives these days: Donald Trump. Could it possibly be that what Pritzker and Johnson are doing isn’t working? Blaming Trump for a high murder rate – especially when that’s the rule, not the exception – is the height of Trump Derangement Syndrome. And these “Teen Takeovers” have gone awry before. A 16-year-old boy was shot and killed at a similar event in Millennium Park in 2022. Last year, just one night after the Christmas tree in Millennium Park was lit, a woman was shot outside of a department store. 2022 and 2024 – Joe Biden was president for both.
Bring in Trump!
After his success in cleaning up the streets of Washington, DC, both figuratively and literally, President Trump set his sights on Chicago. But he ultimately chose another location for his efforts. Now, however, the president is focused on Chicago again.
“Massive crime and rioting in the Chicago Loop area. Multiple Police Officers attacked and badly injured. 300 people rioting, 6 victims shot, one critical and one DEAD,” Trump wrote Saturday on Truth Social. “In the meantime, Governor Pritzker and the Low IQ Mayor of Chicago are refusing Federal Government help for a situation that could quickly be remedied. The people are chanting, BRING IN TRUMP!!!”
In the October 24 interview, Baier asked Pritzker what would happen if he heard his constituents say: “If help is being offered, ask for help.” The governor’s response was to double down on the idea that his administration was doing a good job of steadily reducing crime. In the same defiant tone, he said just hours before Friday’s shooting that the president regularly attacked Chicago and amplified the crime himself “because of his words.”
President Trump’s words didn’t kill and wound those kids in Chicago. Mayor Johnson and Governor Pritzker welcoming Trump’s plan to send in the National Guard and federal law enforcement might have saved them.
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