Feb. 28, 2023 or 2/28/23 is my new rallying cry. Every Chicagoan needs to be uttering that date continuously from this day forward. Why? Because that is the day we can get rid of the current incompetent mayor by voting her out of office. And when she leaves, she can take that bumbling, cannot-speak-a-single-sentence-without-reading-it idiot of a police commander with her. There is no way in the world that David Brown strikes fear and terror in the hearts of any criminal. He is unbelievable when he gives a tough-talk speech because he can’t speak it off the top of his head. I don’t know what qualities he impressed Lightfoot with, but it could not have been his ability to police!
Lori Lightfoot is the poster child for having bamboozled us into believing that she could run this city. Early in her term, I noticed signs of things that I did not like. I even wrote a column on some of her missteps because the golden opportunities that presented themselves to her to make lemonade out of lemons — she blew big time. Like respecting those kids who were on the basketball court without masks. Rather than getting them to become advocates to other young people to protect themselves against the coronavirus, she chastised them while accompanied by the police for protection and thus lost the opportunity to get any kind of goodwill out of them. But at this juncture in her term as mayor, all I can do now is begin the countdown for the day she’s gone.
The crime that is now occurring within the city’s limits is completely out of hand. Shooters feel they can shoot anytime, anywhere and over anything, especially when it comes to the expressways. Although that is the domain of the Illinois State Police, the mayor still has huge input on the subject. Carjackings have risen to astronomical levels, with the latest video showing what looks to be a 5-year-old accompanying some older relatives stealing a car as a woman and her grown daughter unloaded groceries.
With three Black congressmen representing the city, along with the multitude of Black aldermen, Cook County officials, and state officials, you would think their voices would all be united to start a serious campaign to put it into law consequences that can begin to stop the violence. Instead we get continuous self-serving messages of nothing. The only thing they’re not outraged over is the shootings and killings. I wonder why?
When a woman goes to work, and ends up being shot six times because of a bunch of wannabee bank robbers, the entire city, but especially the black community should have risen up in anger. Instead, we have become so used to being the victims, we cannot begin to deal with the flip side: producing the predators. The only good thing is that nobody has been calling for shutting down the Dan Ryan as a response to the problem. Then again, with so many shootings on the Ryan, a protester might be seen as a perfect target.
Hurry up, 2/28/23. You can’t come soon enough!