Chicago mayor-elect: Don't blame the rioty but mostly peaceful children

AP Photo/Shafkat Anowar

So, it’s not even summer yet, and this past Saturday night was red hot in Chicago. The delightful difference was, it seemed to be Youth Night.

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Looks festive! One of the local Chicago TV stations called it another “teen gathering.” SO benign, even when – what was that again? Oh, yeah – two “teens” were shot while doing what “teens” do, which in Chicago, means smashing car windows, terrorizing tourists, and generally rampaging to their hearts’ delight.

Hundreds of teenagers flooded into Downtown Chicago on Saturday night, smashing car windows, trying to get into Millennium Park, and prompting a major police response. At least one person in a car was attacked.

Shots were fired near the corner of Madison and Michigan, and FOX 32 Chicago decided that it was unsafe to keep our news crew on the scene.

…Police were escorting tourists and others back to their cars in the Millennium Park garage.

This is the second time this weekend that a group of rowdy teenagers has prompted a police response. On Friday night, hundreds of kids went to 31st Avenue Beach, and a 14-year-old was shot.

The “second time this weekend“? Well, since there’s really only two nights in a weekend to wild on out, I guess that means the whole weekend was a kiddie carnival.

You know what’s weird, though? The “massive police presence” called in because that’s how many police officers it took to control the mayhem, which is mentioned in every single news report? Somehow the Chicago Tribune seems to have missed it. There’s a “Lightfoot/Johnson talk about somebody got shot” little blurb on page 3 this morning. That’s it.

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Screenshot Chicago Tribune ePaper

Rather muted for something that seems absolutely terrifying for the people trapped there when these youthful revelers exploded on them.

Per the Tribune above, outgoing mayor Lori Lightfoot was her usual worthless, mealy-mouthed self.

…“Twice in the last few days, several large groups of young people have gathered across the city. Many of them were there to have a good time and enjoy the unseasonably warm weather. However, some of those young people were involved in reckless, disrespectful and unlawful behavior,” Lightfoot’s statement said. “As I have said before, we as a city cannot and will not allow any of our public spaces to become a platform for criminal conduct. Most importantly, parents and guardians must know where their children are and be responsible for their actions. Instilling the important values of respect for people and property must begin at home.”

She always insists that they won’t “allow it” and they always do. Lori’s tough love message after the fact is just so much scratchy noise in the background.

In a follow-up report, the news crew that had had to skedaddle for their lives talked to the wife of a beating victim – they were in their car when they were attacked by these monsters. Another woman they interviewed asks, “Where are their parents?”

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God forbid – literally, how dare she call out parental responsibility or lay blame in that direction.

How does newly elected Brandon Johnson feel about that? Here was the moment for the incoming mayor to shine, right? His time to take charge, set down a marker, forcefully declare he won’t allow this great city to devolve any furth…pfft.

HE CHOKED LIKE A BAD DOG.

Let’s revisit part of the mayor-elect’s message for a moment.

“…It’s not constructive to DEMONIZE YOUTH who have OTHERWISE BEEN STARVED OF OPPORTUNITIES in their own communities…”

Ah, Chicago.

It looks like you’re going to get what you voted for, only gooderer and harderer. This Johnson guy isn’t even pretending for the cameras. If you check the translation of what the mayor-elect just said about mobs rampaging and terrorizing unimpeded through the most pristine section left of the once-fair Windy City, it’s this: The “community” is getting their own back and we won’t be stopping them.

The concept should ring a bell

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“…we also gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well…”

…only this isn’t an already ravaged Baltimore. This is equity/social justice in action with a soon-to-be-completely destroyed major American city.

And we get to watch it happen in real-time.

That Democratic National Convention next summer should be lit af, no? If there’s anything left in a year.

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