(DCNF)—Democratic Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez criticized Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Democratic Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson for rejecting President Donald Trump’s assistance with crime.
Both the governor and mayor have been staunch opponents of Trump’s suggestion that he would consider sending the National Guard to tackle crime in the city. On “NewsNation Prime,” Lopez said the two leaders’ opposition was politically motivated rather than aimed at improving public safety in Chicago.
“I believe … that a lot of this has to do with politics and nothing to do with keeping communities safe … if we are already decreasing our crime stats, why shouldn’t we be pushing to decrease even more? Why shouldn’t we make one less victim of violence in the city of Chicago?” Lopez told host Keleigh Beeson. “And I feel that the governor and the mayor are refusing to accept the president’s help, both in terms of the National Guard as well as with additional federal agency support … because they don’t want to be viewed as capitulating and working with the president … for their own political purposes.”
“One wants to be president, one hopes to remain mayor. And they think that their path to victory lies in standing up to Donald Trump,” he continued. “In the meantime, all of the 2.7 million people who make up the 77 communities of the city of Chicago are caught in the political crosshairs and are paying the price on the streets in the city of Chicago every single day.”
Lopez also accused the “Democratic elite” of “gaslighting” by arguing that Trump’s deployment of the National Guard would be a threat to Illinois’ democracy.
“They are here to catch bad guys. They’re here to support our police officers, who, by the way, anxiously await the arrival of. They would love to have some additional support,” he said. “They would love to be able to have the FBI, ATF and DEA work with our local police officers to help bring federal charges to those individuals who commit crimes in our neighborhoods.”
“Everyone who believes in law and order, everyone who believes in public safety beyond the politics, is excited for what may happen in the coming weeks,” he added. “And it’s a shame that it gets lost in translation with our extreme left Democratic colleagues.”‘
Pritzker has held multiple press conferences arguing that residents don’t want the National Guard to assist in reducing Chicago’s crime rate. He said in a Tuesday presser that the city had already started to mitigate crime through investments in measures like additional law enforcement officers, mental health support and community intervention initiatives.
There have been 463 homicides in the city over the last 12 months as of Aug. 30, according to ABC7 Chicago. Although the murder rate over that period was lower than the yearly average of the previous three years, the frequency of homicides was still elevated compared to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.
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