Last weekend, a flash mob of up to 500 Chicago young people — mostly teens — descended on downtown and began to burn cars, terrorize tourists, smash windows, and fight among themselves in a no-longer-shocking display of lawlessness and mayhem.
Some Chicago leaders appeared frightened. “We’ve had more than our share of downtown mass arrest incidents going back over a decade. This is not new,” 2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins said. “What is new is to have it happen three days in a row.”
The police were paralyzed and ended up quarreling with other agencies about who was in charge and who was at fault.
“There should be all sorts of contingency plans in place for when these incidents occur,” Hopkins said. “Instead, we had an absolute meltdown of command and control. Nobody knew who was in charge.”
Incredibly, mass transit kept running through most of Saturday night’s mayhem, bringing more and more rioters to the scene — drawn by TV reports and social media postings — because no one knew who was in charge.
Hopkins said interim police Supt. Eric Carter and Chief of Patrol Brian McDermott got into a shouting match Saturday night, and there was an angry disagreement between “Chicago police leadership and CTA management about who was in charge” of determining whether to cut off mass transit service to downtown.
Nothing was done, and only 15 arrests were made. That’s right: 15.
Exclusively for our VIPs: Flash Mob Trashes Downtown Chicago: Police Helpless, Incoming Mayor Makes Excuses
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Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson issued a statement pleading with the media (and Republicans) not to “demonize” these young people who have been been “starved of opportunities in their own communities.”
What hope is there for a city led by someone like that?
Or like state Senator Robert Peters, who claimed that rather than an example of lawlessness and the breakdown of society, the violence was a “mass protest” and a “political act.”
“Since I’m a glutton for punishment and I’m sure I’m gonna get the most unhinged, crime weirdo replies but: I would look at the behavior of young people as a political act and statement,” Peters wrote in a Twitter post Sunday. “It’s a mass protest against poverty and segregation. Rest in peace to my mentions.”
Since I’m a glutton for punishment and I’m sure I’m gonna get the most unhinged, crime weirdo replies but:
I would look at the behavior of young people as a political act and statement. It’s a mass protest against poverty and segregation.
Rest in peace to my mentions.
— Robert Peters (@RobertJPeters) April 16, 2023
I got your protests right here.
It's not just Philadelphia.
This is the scene in Chicago where hundred of teens flooded the downtown Saturday Night smashing car windows, attacking cars and firing shots.
Biden's America in Democratic run cities. pic.twitter.com/38AZQNg5sg— Dawn Stensland Mendte (@DawnStensland) April 16, 2023
On Monday afternoon, the police department issued a statement saying more security measures would be in place going forward, such as checking bags at beach entry points. The curfew for Millennium Park will also be in place.
Police officials are working closely with youth and outreach workers for when the gatherings occur, according to the statement. Parents were encouraged to accompany their kids or have them remain under adult supervision.
It’s unclear why the police department was caught off guard, as it closely tracks social media for postings about these types of events.
Maybe because no cop wants to end up in a viral video protecting himself or trying to restore order. The first order of business in any riot today is not to disrupt the destruction of the city. Laying hands on a rioter is a sure path to lawsuits and court appearances.
In case you were wondering, the kids are planning another outing this coming weekend.
Someone sent me a screenshot of plans for the next Chicago night of mayhem being organized by violent teens
I’m not going to share b/c Twitter might mistakenly censor me for posting about it
But please keep your families safe and away from downtown Chicago this Saturday night…
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) April 18, 2023
Here is a tweet from an elected Chicago Alderman with the same flyer that was sent to me https://t.co/uOS490x7Oc
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) April 18, 2023
The kids who are going to show up at these riots know that no one will touch them. No one wants to touch them because no one wants to deal with what they represent: the failure of city leaders to accept the responsibility to maintain a civil society.
What’s truly amazing is that you could draw a direct line from the 2020 George Floyd protests to last weekend’s mayhem and not deviate an inch. Actions have consequences and inaction also has consequences. These are the consequences of inaction and what’s truly scary is that when authorities try to regain control and establish order, people are going to die.
That’s the price Chicago is going to pay for stupidity and political gamesmanship.
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