Could this be the photo that destroys Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker's candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president?
Pritzker's criminal justice reform project, which includes the 2021 SAFE-T Act (Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act), which made Illinois the first state to totally eliminate cash bail for almost all offenses, contains a gaggle of anti-police measures and loosens mandatory minimum sentences and supervised release terms, as well as making pretrial release of dangerous criminals easier.
In a tour of communities promoting various aspects of the Act, Pritzker took a photo with a young man putting on a "peacekeeper" anti-violence vest. Kellen McMiller, who at the time of the photo with Pritzker was wanted in four states on several outstanding warrants, committed a "smash and grab" robbery on the Mag Mile six days later. During the getaway, McMiller's car smashed into another vehicle with soon-to-be-father Mark Aceta at the wheel. Aceta was killed, and McMiller, along with six accomplices, has been charged in his death, along with burglary charges.
A day after Aceta was killed, his girlfriend gave birth to their son.
Six days before a crash-and-grab in Chicago killed 40-year-old Mark Arceta, accused burglar Kellen McMiller posed with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker at a “peacekeeper” event—despite active warrants in four states. McMiller now faces murder, burglary, and theft charges. (CWB) pic.twitter.com/eZ0NztlqMx
— NTC Feed (@NTC_Feed) September 18, 2025
The governor's office released a statement on scrubbing the photo from the website.
"The Governor meets hundreds of people in communities every week and is often asked to take photos," a Pritzker spokesperson said in a statement.
"We were extremely troubled to learn that this individual was arrested for his alleged involvement in this serious crime, and we expect them to be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The Governor will keep doing everything in his power to fight crime, keep our neighborhoods safe, and support community violence intervention, which have been proven to work. For example, the Peacekeepers Program has a strong track record reducing violent crime by 41% over the past two years and providing community members with a path towards rehabilitation."
The leaders of Chicago CRED, a violence intervention group that runs the Peacekeeper program, almost drove me to violence with a statement that has to be read to be believed.
The group claims “1300 men and women work in the Peacekeepers program, serving 31 Chicago neighborhoods and nine Cook County suburbs. Because many of them are justice-involved individuals who have experienced severe violence-related trauma, they sometimes make poor choices that can lead to tragic consequences. With that in mind, we are constantly enhancing our screening practices and additional supports.”
Let's all feel sorry for the murderer, right?
"Justice involved individuals"? They couldn't help themselves because they experienced "violence-related trauma"? I am clenching and unclenching my fist, trying to resist the impulse to put my hand through the wall.
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Republicans pounced on Pritzker's statement and the scrubbing of the pic of the alleged murderer from their website.
Illinois Republican Party Chair Kathy Salvi said in a statement that Pritzker “can continue to grandstand about President [Donald] Trump’s initiatives to tackle crime in cities, but he is proving President Trump right everyday with the show of complete incompetence he puts on display.”
“Gov. Pritzker would rather do a photo op with fugitives to bolster his leftist bona fides than do the work it takes to even figure out if his previous anti-violence programs he’s funding … are being co-opted by law breakers,” Salvi said.
This photo isn't quite as dramatic as Ed Muskie crying in the snows of New Hampshire after he was accused in the "Canuck" letter of being anti-French Canadian, or the devastating photo of Michael Dukakis looking like Elmer Fudd in a tank helmet.
But we can expect to see this photo used by both sides in the 2028 campaign.
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