From Woodstock’s Richard Rostron, of The Response:
Murder in Chicago lives up to “Chiraq” reputation while exposing Pritzker and Johnson lies
“I told you Trump is a dictator,” said Carl moments after I walked into the neighborhood tavern where he’s a regular.
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t you pay attention to anything?” he barked at me.
“You need to crawl out from under that rock and see what’s happening in the world sometime.”
“Could you be more specific?” I asked. “What’s he done to set you off now?”
“Don’t take that tone with me,” Carl growled.
“I’m just trying to figure out what you’re talking about.”
“THE NATIONAL GUARD, for crying out loud. You haven’t seen where he’s sending the National Guard in to take over Chicago?”
“I don’t think he’s taking over Chicago,” I said. “He’s just trying to protect ICE and help the police bring down crime.”
“Are you completely blind? He’s already done it to D.C. And now he’s going after Chicago. And you know why, don’t you?”
“Why is that?”
“Because they have one thing in common,” Carl said as though about to divulge a major secret. “The mayors of both cities are black.”
“The mayors of many major cities are black,” I pointed out. “And that’s where the crime is. Dems are defunding the police and crime is rising.”
“AHA!” Carl hollered. “Murder is down in Chicago to a 65-year low.”
“I saw Mayor Johnson is making that claim,” I responded. “But I’ve looked at the crime figures. Ten of the last 15 years have had fewer murders so I don’t know how he can make that claim with a straight face.”
“I don’t know where you’re getting that stuff,” said Carl. “I’m sure the mayor’s numbers are more trustworthy?”
“I got it from city-data.com and it looks pretty accurate to me,” I said. “The average number of murders in the city from 2010 through 2024 was 570. That’s not much lower than the 573 in 2024.”
Looking at the city-data.com site on my phone, I continued, “From 2010 to 2015, there were 432, 431, 500, 416, 415, 481. All of those years saw fewer murders. So did 2018 (567), 2019 (495), 2021 (370) and 2023 (499).”
“That still doesn’t justify calling in the National Guard,” Carl said while glaring at me. “You and Trump have the same problem; you don’t care about the people in Chicago.”
“Looks to me like Trump and I care far more about the people in Chicago. Violent crime is way down in D.C. since Trump brought in the National Guard. Isn’t less crime better for the people who live there?
“Assaults and rapes average 11,678 and 1,446 (respectively) in Chicago every year. Auto thefts average 13,934 per year. Are those numbers really okay with you?”
Carl’s lips were moving but nothing came out. Apparently, he was at a loss for words.
“Sounds to me like Chicago has been in a crisis of crime and violence for so long that people accept it as just how things are,” I said.
“I think that’s why Johnson and Gov. Pritzker don’t want the National Guard in Chicago. Trump is already showing people it doesn’t have to be that way in D.C. If he can clean up Chicago, Democrat might lose there grip on voters in big cities for good.
“You know, Carl, Spike Lee didn’t name his movie about crime in Chicago Chiraq for nothing.”
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