Illinois Gov. Pritzker Says Chicago Is Safe As 35 Shot, 5 Dead Labor Day Weekend
Pritzker and Johnson deny the need for National Guard deployment, even as Labor Day weekend violence leaves 35 shot, 5 fatally.
While Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson presented a united front last week to reject President Donald Trump’s proposal to deploy the National Guard to Chicago, their message of a city on the mend was brutally undermined by a horrific weekend of gun violence.
At least 35 people were shot, five fatally, across the city, a grim reality that stands in stark contrast to the narrative of declining crime statistics touted by the city’s Democratic leadership.
In a press conference intended to publicly defy the president, Governor Pritzker delivered a scathing address, telling President Trump, “You are neither wanted here nor needed here.”
Pritzker, who earlier posted a video showcasing a “nicer part of the city” to insist Chicago is not a “hellhole,” dismissed the president’s remarks as a “continuing slip in your mental faculties.”
The governor was joined by Mayor Johnson, who insisted that Chicagoans do not want a “military occupation” and that the city is being unfairly targeted. Both leaders argued that what Chicago truly needs is “investment,” not federal intervention.
The message from the city’s leadership, however, rings hollow to the families of the victims of the Labor Day weekend violence. The shootings, which began Friday night and continued through the weekend, left a trail of tragedy across the city.
According to ABC7, a woman was shot and killed in a South Shore apartment. A deadly shooting in East Garfield Park claimed the life of a man who was standing outside when a dark SUV pulled up and a suspect opened fire. In the Altgeld Gardens neighborhood, a 43-year-old woman was gunned down by five male suspects, the outlet reported.
This shocking violence casts a shadow over the claims of declining crime.
While the Chicago Tribune reports a drop in total homicides and violent crime for the year, these statistics offer little comfort to a city where such mass shootings have become a frequent occurrence. For many, the weekend’s bloodshed is a clear signal that the current approach to public safety is failing.
President Trump’s suggestion to deploy the National Guard follows a similar action in Washington, D.C., where he invoked federal authority to address a surge in crime.
While Democrats and some media outlets have pointed to a subsequent drop in D.C.’s crime rates, these claims have been met with skepticism. Critics have highlighted that the data may have been incomplete, and one D.C. police commander is reportedly under investigation for allegedly altering crime statistics.
The public seems to be siding with the president. A recent Harvard CAPS/Harris poll found that 54% of registered voters believe that the president’s crime-fighting efforts in Washington, D.C., are “justified and necessary.”
As Chicago’s leaders continue to reject outside help, the escalating violence on the city’s streets suggests that their political defiance may come at a dangerous price for their residents.
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