SPRINGFIELD – Governor Pritzker has spent the past few months joking about the crime epidemic Chicago is facing, and the results have been deadly.
Just this weekend, what should have been a festive holiday tree-lighting event turned tragic; one teenager was killed, and eight others were wounded in two separate downtown shootings. Bringing the weekend total to three dead and twenty-six injured across the city. This follows the horrific attack on the CTA, where a young woman was set on fire by a notorious repeat offender who was out on ankle monitoring.
In response, State Representatives John M. Cabello, Patrick Sheehan, and Dennis Tipsword, all current law enforcement officers, released the following joint statement:
“Governor Pritzker continues to turn a blind eye to the public safety crisis gripping the City of Chicago and emboldening criminals across the state. Jestfully shrugging off attacks on the CTA because, ‘Look, big cities have crime,’ as he did in September, and going on late-night shows to mock the idea that there is, in fact, a very real public safety crisis, sends a horrific message to victims. Public safety isn’t a laughing matter.
“This Governor has spent years promoting soft-on-crime policies that have left families and communities in fear. As Police Officers, we’ve seen firsthand how communities have become less safe, and what happened at the tree lighting ceremony this weekend and last week on the CTA are further examples of why we need to repeal the broken SAFE-T Act to restore accountability in the justice system.
“Illinois families need to know their government, and the Governor, takes public safety seriously. Lives depend on it.”
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