I think there's one thing we can all agree on: for a teacher (granted of very short tenure), Chicago's mayor, Brandon Johnson, is a very, very slow learner.

He seems the sort of bear-of-little-brain who stumbles through life and survives only by being a useful tool to others. The fragile and thin-skinned Johnson wields the enormous chip on his shoulder with alacrity when it comes to making excuses for his demonstrable short-comings while doing the bidding of his puppetmasters, as their goals are directly at odds with the traditional loyalties of his office. His oath, not that it meant anything to him, was to the people of Chicago, not to the Chicago Teacher's Union (CTU) (as I cataloged here) and that organization's delightful president, Stacy Davis Gates (whom I introduced you to a year ago this past December).

The voluble Ms Gates just caught some additional flak for cracking on her arch nemesis 'fired but still on the job' Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez with her usually classy aplomb:

Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates is coming under fire for comparing CEO Pedro Martinez to a special education student who can’t be suspended at a meeting before hundreds of elected members on Wednesday.

Her crawl down was as inarticulate and cringe-worthy as anything that routinely comes out of Johnson's mouth. No wonder they're such a great pair.

Ms Gates, besides her charming public persona and holding the mayor's strings, has a long litany of combative public sins to her name, any one of which would normally get someone hounded out of their job. 

But this is Chicago, so fuggedaboudit. And I wanted your memories refreshed on the CTU leadership because they played a big part in what happened at a Chicago City Council meeting yesterday afternoon.

Two aldermen, Ray Lopez (who you might recognize from his many Fox appearances) and Silvana Tabares, were presenting a proposal for a vote. They wanted the council to change the Welcoming City Ordinance to allow the Chicago Police Department to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when it came to illegals who had been arrested for certain categories of crimes.

What seems on its face to be a pretty reasonable proposal was overwhelmingly blown out of the water by the other council members.

The Chicago city council on Wednesday blocked a proposal that would have allowed local law enforcement to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain migrants with a criminal record.

Chicago’s "welcoming city" ordinance, in compliance with the 2017 Illinois Trust Act, prohibits local law enforcement from participating in federal immigration enforcement.

Ald Ray Lopez and Silvana Tabares wanted to change the ordinance to enable police to cooperate with ICE to target migrants who had been arrested for gang or drug-related activities or sexual crimes involving minors. Their measure received backlash from activist groups when they first introduced the measure in 2023. 

The two officials saw their proposed amendment get struck down by a 39-11 vote.

The rhetoric at the meeting was off-the-charts hysterical from 'immigrant advocates' while the crowd in red sweatshirts didn't exactly act like churchmice. Mayor Johnson got back up to the mic to shout at everyone that he was going to 'have the room cleared' if people didn't simmer down. His doing so is becoming a habit at these meetings, as the citizens attending always seem to be really pissed off about something these days.

...The debate over the amendment included raucous speeches from citizens on both sides of the issue. Liberal activists who occupied the city council building constantly cheered after opponents of the proposal spoke and shouted down supporters. In one of the earlier speeches, a man who identified himself as “Mr. Chicago Conservative,” was forced to wait until the crowd died down due to his vocal opposition to the city’s sanctuary status.

“Who are you loyal to?” Mr. Chicago Conservative asked. “The American citizens here in Chicago or the illegal immigrants here in Chicago?

“The sanctuary law that [Mayor] Brandon Johnson allowed criminals, drug dealers, and now terrorists — we have terrorists in our city now,” he continued before the crowd temporarily shouted him down.

However, most speakers during the public comment period were adamantly against any changes to Chicago’s sanctuary law.

“All the black people and latinos in Chicago who are caught up foolishly calling for these deportations, quit sounding like the rabid white racists and wake up and get off that garbage,” said another individual.

I have a sneaky suspicion the room leaned a little more left than right. Why? Ms Gates' CTU and their allies spent a whole lot of time beating the anti-Trump, racist drum and whipping up as much angst against the proposal as they could.

We stood strong in 2019 for sanctuary protections. Now, we’re committed to strengthening that language to shield CPS students and families from Trump’s dangerous agenda and ICE threats targeting our communities. pic.twitter.com/miG4U9m4cA

— Chicago Teachers Union (@CTULocal1) January 14, 2025

These people know how to flood a venue with big mouths.

We rallied at City Hall to tell Alds. Lopez & Tabares: we won't stand for any attacks on the Welcoming City Ordinance. This vital protection ensures undocumented residents can access city services safely & keeps local law enforcement separate from federal immigration enforcement. pic.twitter.com/Hcm8FfQEqX

— Grassroots Collaborative (@GrassrootsChi) January 15, 2025

Eyerolling performances. 

The woman standing with protesters demonstrating against proposed changes to Chicago’s sanctuary city ordinance is Beatriz Ponce de León. She is the Deputy Mayor of Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Rights.

She is paid $189K annually.

She was protesting on taxpayers' dime today. pic.twitter.com/0ASaH994CZ

— Chicago Contrarian (@ChicagoContrar1) January 14, 2025

From city employees, no less. Hey - CHICAGO.

I've tried to find the two Xweets I saw calling out two aldermen who had signaled they favored the motion until they got there...or the pressure got to them, and then they changed their votes at the last minute. I'll add them if I come across them again. In one of the Xweets, one alderman is getting chewed on for his weak excuse for changing his vote.

And that Alderman Lopez is such a quiet, soft-spoken racist for a Hispanic, isn't he? 

WOW 🚨 Chicago Sanctuary City Council just BLOCKED proposal turn over illegal migrants who have COMMITTED CRIMES to ICE

“Proposed weakening Chicago Sanctuary City status to help the federal government remove criminals who are undocumented — The city council voted not to hear the… pic.twitter.com/JGXVgjnzCx

— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) January 16, 2025

"...Alderman Lopez's ordinance would have endangered everyone in the city of Chicago because it would have meant that people would have been afraid to call 911..."

Citizens watching the debate and then the vote to table, which for all intents and purposes killed the motion, were incensed.

Despicable. These Aldermen will have (more) blood on their hands. At some point, the City will be cutoff from Fed bailouts for sanctuary cities lawlessness. City finances already broke.

Chicago death spiral accelerates.

— T. S. O'Connor 🇺🇸 (@toconnor66) January 16, 2025

The CTU, on the other hand, was overjoyed for purely humanitarian reasons, you understand.

This had nothing to do with their padding their union coffers...nothing at all...you racist.

This is GRAFT. Illegals in the schools = more teachers required = more dues collected.
Meanwhile school districts will go bankrupt serving ESL, Spec Ed and other supports programs. pic.twitter.com/h6GNB2IoTJ

— @RoxanneQuest (@roxannequest) January 16, 2025

Alderman Lopez remains unbowed in the face of what he hopes is a minor defeat and good on him. He also takes a moment to warn the forces arrayed against yesterday's effort that, while their emotive blustering might have taken the day...

While @ChicagosMayor & Co applaud themselves for keeping people “safe,” @AldermanTabares and I see their rhetoric for what it is: they want deportations & chaos because they want their photo ops.

They desperately need an enemy to deflect from their political failures and are… https://t.co/X5UcFL3nkz pic.twitter.com/cE4cmmqRnN

— Ald. Raymond Lopez (@RaymondALopez) January 15, 2025

...They desperately need an enemy to deflect from their political failures and are willing to sacrifice mostly Mexican undocumented immigrants to accomplish that goal. They are responsible for endangering everyone as @RealTomHoman & @realDonaldTrump look for their high priority targets.

...they have called the whirlwind down.