The city of Chicago is a warzone, and the numbers tell a troubling, terrifying story:
- Nearly 1,400 people shot. Over 345 homicides.
- 71 shot — just over the Fourth of July weekend.
- Over 834 carjackings.
- Violent crime overall has increased 36%.
Additionally, a recent report revealed that there were over 400,000 high priority 911 calls that went unanswered due to a police shortage.
Imagine calling the police for help in an emergency and no one is available to respond.
Welcome to Chicago. Now a question: Where is Gov. Jay Robert "J. B." Pritzker?
He’s laying the groundwork for a presidential run and delivering speeches in battleground states like New Hampshire.
The mass shooting that took place during the Highland Park Fourth of July parade is heartbreaking. Every Illinoisan mourns with the victims.
What was supposed to be the scene of a celebration quickly turned into the scene of a crime. That’s unacceptable.
On Monday, Gov. Pritzker was at The White House to join President Biden for the signing of gun safety legislation. Afterwards, Pritzker met with the press alongside Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering and Highland Park Police Commander Chris O’Neill to talk about stricter gun laws.
But an April 26, 2022 article in WBEZ Chicago revealed that despite setting aside $50 million from federal COVID relief funds to stop gun violence, the Pritzker administration had only spent $56,764; that's just one tenth of one% of the money allocated to drive down crime and more importantly, gun violence.
To purposely sit on funds designated for communities impacted by violence is irresponsible and wrong. Especially coming off of 2021, the deadliest year in Chicago in over 25 years.
Let's not forget, talk is cheap — especially to a billionaire.
It’s easy to have press conferences and go on national television to talk about all the things your administration is doing to drive down violent crime in Chicago — it’s another thing to allocate funding and visit neighborhoods hit hardest like Englewood, West Garfield Park, and North Lawndale.
Meet with any of the residents in the south and west sides of Chicago and they’ll tell you that Gov. Pritzker is missing in action. And the only time they see him is on television.
It’s also why major companies like Caterpillar, Boeing and Citadel are moving their headquarters out of Chicago and Illinois; they’re tired of all the talk and lack of action on an issue as important as violent crime.
Nobody wants to live and work in a city where their lives are in danger every single day.
But with political aspirations bigger than his waist size, Gov. Pritzker has no time to get tough on crime.
So, Pritzker plans his presidential campaign, Illinoisans suffer and die.
Mark Vargas currently hosts a radio show, "Mark My Words with Mark Vargas" on AM 560 The Answer. Follow Mark on Twitter: @markavargas. Read Mark Vargas' Reports — Click Here Now.
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