Tag: chicago

A Chicago Democrat’s Deranged Explanation for His City’s Violent Weekend

Democrats around the country are test driving different responses to President Trump’s (quite successful) crime crackdown in Washington, DC — which he is threatening to impose elsewhere, albeit under different authorities and jurisdictional constraints, given the capital’s unique status as a federal district.  In DC itself, Mayor Bowser surprised many last week by acknowledging the dramatic reduction in crime and sounding positive about the federal-local partnership achieving those results.  She enraged leftists in the process, but adopting a ‘plummeting crime is good’ position is typically very safe terrain for a politician.  California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been trolling Trump for weeks, so when he rolled out new anti-crime squads in his state, he had to do so with all sorts of requisite criticisms of the president.  But his action alone was something of a nod to the reality Trump has been highlighting: Crime remains far too elevated in large swaths of the country, very much including on the West Coast.  It has been the Democrats of Illinois who seem to have planted their heads in the sand as aggressively as possible, shouting resistance slogans into that dust while rampant crime rages around them.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has achieved historic, breathtakingly low approval ratings, repeatedly refused to answer whether thousands of more local police on the beat would help reduce crime in his city (which has led the nation in murders for more than a dozen years running).  He’s against what he calls an unconstitutional Trump intervention and “military occupation,” you see, but he’s also against more local enforcement.

Keep reading

Chicago Mayor’s Order to Resist ICE: “Protecting Chicago Initiative” Makes the City More Dangerous

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order on Saturday, August 30, 2025, called the “Protecting Chicago Initiative,” in response to anticipated federal immigration raids and the possible deployment of the National Guard by the Trump administration.

Ironically, he believes he is protecting Chicago by sheltering illegal aliens, including those with criminal histories, and by refusing to support law enforcement efforts. How this makes the city safer remains unclear.

The order prohibits the Chicago Police Department from assisting federal authorities with civil immigration enforcement, including patrols, traffic stops, and checkpoints, and bars collaboration with military personnel on local police duties. It also requires federal officers to follow municipal policies, such as banning the use of masks to conceal identities.

The directive further instructs city departments to “pursue all available legal and legislative avenues to resist coordinated efforts from the federal government” that may infringe on the rights of Chicago residents.

This raises the question of whether illegal immigrants should be considered residents, what rights they possess, and whether they are entitled to protection from federal law enforcement. No comparable program exists to shield American citizens who commit crimes from federal officers.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson accused Mayor Brandon Johnson of suffering from “Trump derangement syndrome,” after Johnson called the administration “out-of-control” and accused the president of acting “outside the bounds of the Constitution.”

The mayor makes these claims, but immigration enforcement is not “outside the bounds of the Constitution,” and an administration enforcing existing laws is not “out of control.” What is out of control are Chicago’s illegal immigration and violent crime problems, precisely why stronger enforcement is needed.

Chicago has maintained sanctuary city policies for nearly 40 years, beginning with Mayor Harold Washington’s 1985 executive order. The current framework is the “Welcoming City Ordinance,” enacted in 2006, expanded in 2012, and tightened in 2021 to eliminate all cooperation with ICE. At the state level, Illinois passed the Trust Act in 2017, extending sanctuary protections statewide and prohibiting local officials from inquiring about immigration status or assisting in federal enforcement.

Illinois is home to about 500,000 illegal immigrants, including 30,000 DACA recipients and tens of thousands of recent arrivals. Since August 2022, roughly 51,000 migrants from the southern border have settled in Chicago, adding major costs for taxpayers.

Keep reading

Chicago’s Far-Left Mayor Brandon Johnson Signs ‘Protective Order’ to Try and Block Trump’s National Guard Deployment, Vows to ‘Take Any Action Necessary’

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order on Saturday, titled the “Protecting Chicago Initiative,” aimed at preventing the potential deployment of the National Guard by President Donald Trump to address the city’s rampant crime issues.

Johnson, a far-left Democrat, claims the order is necessary to defend residents’ constitutional rights amid fears of what he calls an “unconstitutional and illegal military occupation.”

The executive order comes as the Trump administration considers using Naval Station Great Lakes, a Navy base near Chicago, as a staging ground for immigration enforcement operations involving more than 200 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents.

Trump has been vocal about addressing Chicago’s crime woes, recently stating after deploying the National Guard to Washington, D.C., that his team would “straighten out” Chicago next, calling it “a mess” under an “incompetent mayor.”

“The City of Chicago will do everything in our power to defend our democracy and protect our communities. With this executive order, we send a resounding message to the federal government: we do not need nor want an unconstitutional and illegal military occupation of our city,” Johnson said in a statement.

“We do not want military checkpoints or armored vehicles on our streets and we do not want to see families ripped apart. We will take any action necessary to protect the rights of all Chicagoans,” the mayor continued. “Protecting Chicago is the next step in the work we have been doing to defend our city from federal overreach and illegal action.”

Keep reading

Watch Chicago Mayor Johnson Repeatedly Refuse to Answer When Asked if More Police Would Reduce Crime in the City

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Tuesday morning and repeatedly refused to answer when host Joe Scarborough asked him if more police would reduce crime in the city.

The entire conversation was predicated on the idea that Trump may send federal forces to the crime-torn city and Scarborough was trying so hard to tee up the ball for Johnson, almost outright urging him to give the obvious answer, but Johnson just refused to respond.

When he finally did offer an answer, it was all about other issues like affordable housing and social welfare spending. He is such a disaster of a mayor.

FOX News has details:

Chicago mayor repeatedly dodges MSNBC questions about whether city needs more police

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson dodged repeated questions from MSNBC host Joe Scarborough on Tuesday about whether an increased police presence in the city would help cut down on crime.

“Do you believe that the streets of Chicago would be safer if there were more uniformed police officers on the streets of Chicago?” Scarborough asked Johnson.

Scarborough posed the question to the liberal Chicago mayor multiple times. Johnson instead emphasized the need for expanded social programs, including affordable housing.

“I believe the city of Chicago and cities across America would be safer if we actually had, you know, affordable housing. Look, I’m not saying—” Johnson began, before Scarborough cut him off, noting it wasn’t the question he had asked.

Scarborough pressed again, asking if more officers would reduce crime. Johnson said it shouldn’t be narrowed down to police alone, calling that an “antiquated approach.”

“Are you hearing what I’m saying?” Scarborough pressed again.

Keep reading

“Chicago Will be Our Next” – Trump Says Chicago, New York, San Francisco Crime Crackdown Incoming and Democrats are Calling Him for Help

President Trump on Friday signaled that he is not stopping his crackdown on crime in Washington, DC, and told reporters that he plans to clean up Chicago, San Francisco, and potentially more Democratic cities across the country.  

President Trump has declared a “public safety emergency” in the nation’s capital, citing high crime and unsafe streets, and he federalized the DC police force last week. He further authorized the use of National Guard troops and deployed federal agents across the city to tackle the rampant crime, homelessness, and illegal immigration crises.

Hundreds of criminals have been removed from the streets, and crime has significantly reduced in the city.

Law-abiding citizens can now walk around freely without fear of being attacked, robbed, or harassed by drugged-out bums.

As The Gateway Pundit reported, Trump fired off a warning shot to Mayor Muriel Bowser during his Oval Office press conference on Friday, apparently threatening her removal.

“Mayor Bowser better get her act straight, or she won’t be mayor very long because we’re taking over with the federal government, running it like it’s supposed to be run,” Trump said.

Keep reading

Obama’s $500M Presidential Center Turns $830M Nightmare as Locals Push Back

The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago’s Jackson Park, originally budgeted at $500 million, has seen costs balloon to over $830 million.

Construction began in 2021, but delays have pushed the opening to April 2026. The facility includes a museum tower, library branch, and community spaces, funded privately by donors like Jeff Bezos and Oprah Winfrey.

Construction began in 2021, but delays have pushed the opening to April 2026. The facility includes a museum tower, library branch, and community spaces, funded privately by donors like Jeff Bezos and Oprah Winfrey.

Local residents and leaders have raised concerns about gentrification caused by the development. Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor noted that rents are rising and families are being displaced, as reported by the Daily Mail. She emphasized the lack of a Community Benefits Agreement to ensure affordable housing and local hiring.

Property values have surged, with two-bedroom apartments jumping from $800 to $1,800 monthly in some areas.

A federal lawsuit filed in January 2025 alleged racial discrimination against a Black-owned subcontractor, contributing to project tensions.

Critics describe the structure as imposing and out of place in the historic park. Resident Ken Woodard called it a “monstrosity” that erases local culture, per the Daily Mail.

Construction workers attributed delays to extensive DEI sessions, which included discussions on oppression and equity. A foreman recounted mandatory 90-minute workshops that distracted from work. These policies have led to cost overruns exceeding initial estimates by hundreds of millions.

Former President Donald Trump criticized the project in May 2025, calling it a “disaster” during a meeting with Canadian official Mark Carney.

Trump blamed “woke” and DEI hiring practices for massive overruns and claimed work had halted. The Obama Foundation refuted these assertions, stating the center remains on track.

Keep reading

Woman Sues Chicago After Being Shot by Gun from Buyback Program

Twanda Willingham is suing the city of Chicago after being shot with a pistol that had been “relinquished to Chicago police at a gun turn-in event,” according to the NRA-ILA.

FOX 32 reported Willingham was shot in August 2023 with a Glock 21 “surrendered months earlier at a Chicago Police Department gun buyback.”

Willingham subsequently filed suit against Chicago, after it was discovered the gun had allegedly “disappeared while in transit between the [location of the buy back event] and a nearby police station—just blocks apart.”

Keep reading

Mayor Brandon Johnson Claims Trump Is Intimidated by His Black Intellectual Prowess

End Wokeness is a Twitchy favorite, but we wish they would not pull an Aaron Rupar and give us the full context of a clip. We’d like to know in exactly what “petite and purile terms” President Donald Trump was speaking to trigger Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who now enjoys an approval rating of 6.6 percent compared to Trump’s 45.9 percent.

We checked Google for news stories about a Johnson press conference in which he appreciated the press’s “begging,” but the best we could find was a Facebook post by a local news anchor. Christina Aguayo News reports that Johnson called Trump “one of the biggest threats to humanity that we have seen in an entire generation.”

Johnson also added that he’s been saying for the past couple of years that “the extreme right in this country wants a rematch of the Civil War.” The one started by Democrats?

Keep reading

Proof That Leftists Want To Completely Abolish The Nuclear Family

Far left Marxists recently hosted an event in Chicago where a panel argued that the traditional family unit needs to be destroyed because it’s “inherently repressive and racist.”

Yes, really. This is what the left wants for America.

Libs of TikTok has the details of the event that was held last month by National Democratic Socialists of America.

A description of the event from their own materials reads as follows:

“How should the left relate to the family? Socialist analysis makes clear that the nuclear family form is an inherently repressive, racist, and hetereo-sexist institution that functionally reinforces and reproduces capitalism.”

Keep reading

“Settlement tsunami”: Chicago spends more than double city budget on police misconduct settlements

The City of Chicago is searching for financial solutions amidst hundreds of pending police misconduct cases, spending more than double the $82 million budget.

Eight years ago, police burst down the door of the Mendez family home unannounced, pointing guns at Hester and Gilbert Mendez, and their sons Peter and Jack (who were 9 and 5 at the time) – only to find they’d raided the wrong apartment.

After years stuck in the legal pipeline, between COVID delays and multiple changes in the judge presiding over the case, Mendez et al. v. City of Chicago finally began on Monday, April 21, 2025 in Courtroom 1941 at the Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse in Chicago. 

The Mendez family was seeking financial compensation for their rights being violated and the trauma their children endured. 

The city of Chicago has already spent more than $164 million in taxpayer money this year on police misconduct settlements and judgments – more than double its $82 million budget. With hundreds of cases pending, including from people alleging torture by notorious former officers, the Mendez case illustrates how these situations often play out: the city launches into a costly trial, putting families through trauma and stress, only to settle for a large sum at taxpayer expense. Officials say there’s a better way to do it – offering substantial settlements earlier – not the unfairly small settlements that the city often uses to avoid trial, as lawyers see it; or ideally avoiding police misconduct in the first place. 

During the Mendez family’s trial, a now 17-year-old Peter Mendez described on the stand how he was traumatized on the evening of November 7, 2017. “My life flashed before my eyes, my heart was pounding, and I thought maybe I could die.”

To this day, the event has left Jack, the youngest child, with the same recurring nightmare of police shooting his mother, cuffing and taking his father away to jail, and separating him and his brother as they get taken to different orphanages. 

Keep reading