Posts Tagged ‘safe-t act’

Chicago’s Summer of Misery: Criminals emboldened over cop shortages, no-cash bail, and a Soros prosecutor

Posted: June 16, 2024 by John Ruberry in crime, culture, News/opinion, opinion/news, politics
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By John Ruberry

Chicago, not surprisingly, is coming apart at the seams. 

While recently propped up a bit by COVID relief money, which will run out next year, Chicago, because of massive unfunded pension liabilities, is essentially bankrupt. Its streets and roads are in terrible shape. Riding on Chicago’s buses, and even more so its el trains, can be trip into a scene from Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. The George Floyd riots of 2020 chased out major retailers on North Michigan Avenue, and fear of crime has solidified the work-at-home movement, keeping office workers, and their wallets, out of Chicago’s central business district, the Loop.

Last year, Chicagoans voted in a defund-the-police advocate, Brandon Johnson, as mayor. In 2020, while a county commissioner–as well as working as an organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union–Johnson said of the defund movement, “I don’t look at it as a slogan,” he said. “It’s an actual real political goal.” 

At a forum the month before the runoff election, which Johnson of course won, he answered back to that statement with this lie, “I said it was a political goal, I never said it was mine.”

Chicago used to be a hard-knuckle newspaper town. The Front Page, a 1928 play that inspired two movies of the same name, was written by two Chicago newspaper reporters. Chicago has devolved from that to subservience. Led by its worst journalist, PBS Chicago’s Heather Cherone, the local media barely pressed Johnson on his hypocrisy over the defund movement.

Fourteen months into Johnson’s term, with the exception of murder, the crime rate continues to rise in Chicago. To be fair, not everything is Johnson’s fault. Until December, Chicago is plagued with a George Soros-so-called prosecutor, Kim Foxx. And last fall, Illinois’ SAFE-T Act, which abolishes cash bail, went into effect. 

Chicago has about 11,000 police officers, and Johnson’s handpicked police chief, Larry Snelling, says the CPD is short 2,000 cops. 

It’s a glorious new era for criminals. They are emboldened because they don’t fear getting caught, and if they are arrested, Chicago’s criminals have a decent chance of not getting punished.

As I have here before, I am going to list some recent headlines from the essential CWB Chicago:

Yes, a man was shot near the home of the man who signed SAFE-T Act into law. And let me reiterate, these are recent CWB Chicago stories, the oldest is from three days ago. And notice the anarchic nature, when digested together, of these crimes.

Yes, lawbreakers are emboldened in Chicago. A look at this X video from 16th & 17th District Chicago Police Scanner. Police were dispatched to break up a raucous party. Just a few years ago such a police call would be termed “routine.” Look at how these beasts, many recording the mayhem, react. One law enforcement officer is struck in the head while some women twerk, as if they are in a porn video, in response.

On the upside, the jackals are multi-racial. Even as it’s falling apart, Chicago is coming together.

Chicago’s 16th Police District, on the Northwest Side, was considered a safe place to live. No place is safe in Chicago. On a personal note, my daughter and one of my sisters live within the district’s boundaries.

Also from 16th & 17th District Chicago Police Scanner, is this disturbing sign outside the entrance of the 16th Police District station, which because only one cop is working the desk there, advises crime victims to drive to another police station if they want faster service.

Citywide, the complaints from residents calling 911 and having to wait hours for police to respond are piling up.

In two months, the Democratic National Convention will convene in Chicago. Thousands of protesters rioters are expected to descend upon the city.

And the Chicago Police Department, because of staff shortages, cannot even handle a normal weekend.

Chicago’s Summer of Misery is here.

As of this writing, 3:45pm CDT Sunday June 16, there have been 38 people who have been shot in Chicago. Six of them, including a 13-year-old boy, are dead.

UPDATE June 17:

Last weekend ended up being an extremely violent one. The final shooting total, for now, for last weekend in Chicago was 71 people shot and nine killed. There were two mass shootings early Monday morning an hour apart from each other.

Here is coverage of one of the Monday mass shootings.

Welcome to Detroit.

John Ruberry regularly blogs at Marathon Pundit.

To fight back against the left, I say we should refer to all Illinois criminals as “justice-impacted individuals”

Posted: May 26, 2024 by John Ruberry in crime, News/opinion, opinion/news, politics
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By John Ruberry

Oh, for the days when Illinois was normal.

My state is a solid blue state, but it wasn’t always that way. 

In the 20th century, only twice, in 1912 and 1916, Illinois failed to back the presidential winner in the general election.

The Land of Lincoln, the home of the first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, began its slide to the left in 1988, when George H.W. Bush won Illinois by just 95,000 votes in his blowout win, nationally that is, over Michael Dukakis. Democrat gerrymandering and feckless leadership from the state GOP have demoralized Illinois conservatives. Real conservatives, that is, not the country club phonies who are embarrassed by Donald Trump.

Illinois has now gone hard left, thanks to decades of gerrymandering. At the top of the heap is likely 2028 presidential candidate, J.B. Pritzker, who is nearly halfway into his second term as governor. 

To embellish his woke credentials for his presidential run, Pritzker signed into law and championed the SAFE-T Act, which abolishes cash bail in Illinois. It’s been in effect for nine months. The numbers are still coming in, but at least in Chicago, other than a slight dip in murders, violent crime is up.

Still, criminals manage to get caught and convicted in Illinois, despite the presence until December of a George Soros-funded so-called prosecutor, Kim Foxx, in the state’s largest county, Cook.

But some of those unlucky Illinois crooks soon may not soon be officially known as “felons,” “offenders,” or “convicts” or “ex-cons,” If it’s not on his desk already, it soon will be, but Illinois House Bill 4409 will classify participants in the Adult Redeploy Illinois program as “justice-impacted individuals.”

To be fair, not all convicted criminals in the state will be referred to as such if Pritzker signs HB 4409 into law, but considering that the billionaire governor has proven to be cautious about being out-woked, look for all lawbreakers to be referred to be officially classified as such in that sanitized, Orwellian phrase.

Conservatives and centrists, who, despite Democratic dominance in in the Land of Lincoln, still make up a majority in this state, have two surefire ways to fight back.

They can remind leftists that Illinois–for good reason–has been losing population annually for a decade. 

The other method of attack is to refer to criminals, when a progressive is in earshot or likely to read a social media post, as “justice-impacted individuals.” Leftists can’t process the wrongheadedness of their political beliefs, such as men being able to give birth, and they despise ridicule. 

Believers in common sense, you have your assignment. Think of yourselves as Groucho Marx and the leftist in front of you as the kind of pompous fool the legendary comedian regularly humiliated. 

With some laughs, we might be able turn Illinois, even slightly, to the right direction.

John Ruberry regularly blogs at Marathon Pundit.

On Illinois Primary day I’m choosing a Democratic ballot so I can vote for Eileen O’Neill Burke for Cook County state’s attorney

Posted: March 10, 2024 by John Ruberry in crime, election 2024, elections, News/opinion, opinion/news, politics
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By John Ruberry

I’m going to do something that I haven’t done since I moved from Chicago to the suburbs. On Illinois Primary day next week I’ll be taking a Democratic ballot so I can vote Eileen O’Neill Burke for Cook County state’s attorney.

When I lived in the city, I did so for a couple of reasons. For starters, much like the rest of the Chicago area now, there were no competitive Republican political races to vote in. Secondly, if I needed a “favor,” nothing illegal mind you, but let’s say, I wanted the loud garbage pickup at the condominium across the alley from my apartment to take place after 7:00am, it was my belief that a call to the alderman’s office–true story, by the way–would carry more weight if I was on the list of registered Democrats in the ward.

Eight years ago, voters made the disastrous decision to elect George Soros-funded Kim Foxx as Cook County’s states attorney. As the county’s chief prosecutor, Foxx has acted more like a woke social worker than someone who should be protecting the people of America’s second-most populous county. In one of her first moves as state’s attorney, Foxx said she would ignore state law and only prosecute thefts as felonies if the value of what was stolen exceeded $1,000, rather than $300.

The message was clear to Chicago and suburban career criminals. Steal less than $1,000, then move on to your next target. 

Crime of all types have soared since Foxx became county prosecutor. Sure, COVID hurt, but the pandemic has been over for over three years–crime remains high. That includes shoplifting, carjackings, and murders.

Foxx should have resigned in shame years ago–and not because of her mishandling of the Jussie Smollett race attack hoax. Once again, I have to say it. The primary duty of government is to protect its citizens. Foxx has failed to do that.

There are two Democrats running in the state’s attorney race: retired Illinois Appellate Court judge Eileen O’Neill Burke and University of Chicago lecturer Clayton Harris III, who previously was best-known as the final chief-of-staff for disgraced Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. O’Neill Burke is not related to the recently convicted Chicago alderman and Democrat power broker Edward Burke. When running for office, she has always used both of her surnames, but Harris, who has been endorsed by Blago in this race, simply refers to her as “Burke.”

Harris has the backing of the woke chair of the Cook County Democratic Party, Toni Preckwinkle. The longtime president of the Cook County Board enthusiastically backed Foxx in both of her runs–Foxx is a former chief-of-staff for Preckwinkle. Chicago’s inept leftist mayor, Brandon Johnson, was endorsed by Preckwinkle in last year’s runoff election. Harris has only four years of experience as a prosecutor, whereas O’Neill Burke, as a judge and an assistant state’s attorney, has 25 years of experience.

Harris has all but said that he’ll continue the pro-criminal failed prosecutorial approach of Foxx. 

As for O’Neill Burke, while yes, she has received large contributions from donors who usually back Republicans, including Citadel’s Ken Griffin, she is not a conservative or even a moderate. Sadly, she supports Illinois’ toxic SAFE-T Act, which abolished cash bail. But she’ll be an improvement over Foxx. As for Griffin, he was a major financial supporter of a super PAC backing Nikki Haley. Harris is trying to make an issue with O’Neill Burke over the financial support of these Republicans, but his big-name Democratic support leans on the party’s far-left, starting of course with Preckwinkle. O’Neill Burke’s Dem endorsement base is more centrist, or what passes for centrist in Illinois. Her most prominent supporter is Illinois treasurer Susana Mendoza.

Voting for safety is one of the best reasons to select a candidate, perhaps the best one. That is why I’ll be choosing a Democratic ballot in the Illinois Primary election on March 19 and voting for Eileen O’Neill Burke for Cook County state’s attorney.

And no, I won’t be voting for Joe Biden.

The Republican running for state’s attorney is Robert Fioretti. He’s an acquaintance of mine, and I think he can do well in that office. But Cook County voters haven’t elected a Republican county-wide–yes, it was for state’s attorney–in over 30 years. Since then, Cook has become much more Democratic.

John Ruberry regularly blogs at Marathon Pundit.

Chicago mainstream media ignores rumors that Mayor Brandon Johnson has suffered panic attacks

Posted: January 21, 2024 by John Ruberry in crime, culture, immigration, media, News/opinion, opinion/news, politics
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By John Ruberry

There are a couple of good ways to feel the pulse of what is going in politically in Chicago–and they both involve John Kass, a former Chicago Tribune columnist. You can read his new columns at JohnKassNews.com and you can listen to his Chicago Way podcast.

In his most recent podcast, Kass’ guest was longtime Chicago television reporter, Anita Padilla, who now reports for the Florida Voice. They speak freely about current events, something that was hard for them do to when they worked in the legacy media.

Chicago’s mayor, leftist and Chicago Teachers Union product, Brandon Mayor, was discussed. It was Padilla who brought up a topic that the local mainstream media won’t touch–rumors that Johnson, who was sworn into office last spring–has suffered panic attacks since becoming mayor.

“Because sources told me–two sources–told me that he has been in the hospital for these panic attacks,” Padilla told Kass. “And he is stressed out because this is a big, big job for him.”

Kass replied, “He wasn’t ready for it.” Padilla immediately responded back, “He’s not ready for it, he’s not ready for it. He’s not a leader.”

In October on JohnKassNews, Kass discussed the Johnson panic attack speculation.

The rumors flying through City Hall from sources are that Johnson has suffered at least two episodes that are being described by some as “panic attacks.” I’m not a doctor. I wouldn’t know what to prescribe. But I do know this: as Johnson continues to panic, speculation is growing about a replacement if he can’t do the job.

He’s proven he can’t do the job.

And Kass appears to be right. The local legacy media quickly moved on after it was revealed that, as the Chicago Sun-Times reported, that Johnson “unwittingly” signed an extension of a $10 million contract with ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection company. On the campaign trail, Johnson vowed to cancel that deal.

The speculation about, well, the speculation of Johnson’s panic attacks centers on the migrant crisis. Chicago is a sanctuary city, although America’s third-largest city has not been an able sanctuary host.

A 2,000-person migrant tent city on the Southwest Side–a project Johnson championed–was vehemently opposed by neighborhood residents. Citing environmental concerns, Gov. JB Pritzker pulled the plug on the camp last month–a rare instance when I supported an official action of his–but after the city spent nearly $1 million on it. This summer, many migrants were sleeping at police stations and inside O’Hare Airport terminals.

Two weeks after the migrant tent city was cancelled, a five-year-old Venezuelan boy died at a migrant shelter, an old warehouse, also on the Southwest Side. The boy’s cause of death has not been determined, but conditions in the shelter, which the Johnson administration had been aware of since October, were horrid. Third World-like. Among the problems in the old warehouse were cockroach infestation, exposed piping with raw sewage, not enough bathrooms, and widespread illness.

Johnson will soon have even more to panic about. Crime was the biggest issue of last year’s mayoral campaign. Voters chose to ramp up Johnson’s predecessor’s failed approach to tackle the “root causes” of crime, rather than fighting criminals. Delayed until last September because of a court challenge, Illinois’ no-cash bail SAFE T-Act is finally in effect. Johnson scored a lucky break on that litigation, because the Chicago crime rate usually goes down, along with the temperatures, when summer ends. But the full effect of the pro-criminal SAFE T-Act probably won’t be felt until spring, when those crime rates go back up and Chicago’s career criminals will be emboldened, if they aren’t already, with the belief that crime does pay, even if you are arrested.

And there is now a migrant crime wave in Chicago and the suburbs, although for the most part, the mainstream media is ignoring it.

And this summer, in a foolish move by the Democratic National Committee, the city of Chicago, and the state of Illinois, the Democratic National Convention will convene in Chicago. Many expect violent protests and yes, riots. Which led the Chicago Contrarian to remark on X, “If @ChicagosMayor is experiencing panic attacks over illegals flooding Chicago, one wonders what kind of hysterical meltdown he will suffer when confronted with the maelstrom of rage and rioting the DNC will bring.”

Such a “maelstrom” could end up as a morbid morph of the George Floyd riots of 2022 and the DNC outrage of 1968.

And the “panic” could be spreading to Johnson’s staff. Last week a Bloomberg reporter, Ian Kullgren, was jostled by someone in the mayor’s inner circle. ”Unbelievable, “Kulgren posted on X, ” A staffer for @ChicagosMayor just physically shoved me for trying to ask the mayor a question. 1st time in 15 years as a reporter I’ve had anything like this happen.”

Let’s Go Brandon.

John Ruberry regularly blogs at Marathon Pundit.

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