Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson wrongly compared the fatal police shooting of an armed 13-year-old to the murder of a police officer by a group of teenagers. Wirepoints’ Mark Glennon highlighted how the mayor’s comment leads to a further demoralization of Chicago’s police force.

Read more from Wirepoints:
- Echoing Scarface, ‘First We Get the Money,’ say Mayor Johnson’s allies with $12 billion financial plan, and here comes Angela Davis
- Four reasons why Chicago should dump its sanctuary status
- Mayor-elect Johnson’s ‘silly’ kids comments could embolden the criminal actions of Chicago teens: A look at the numbers
Audio and summary
If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
Folks, all this anti Police defund woke chatter will result in the way they used to hire cops in Egypt. They had to draft their cops. Yep, you read that right. They conscripted their cops over there!
Mayor Johnson is mere puppet of CTU and Preckwinkle, espousing that woke BLM/DEI rhetoric. His speeches are likely scripted without his input, his talking points taken from CTU literature. These political leaders are fully insulated from the day-to-day experiences of living in Chicago – chauffeur driven, 24/7 multi-officer special protection units, fawning aides, high-security homes, cushioned from real life. When’s last time Preckwinkle rode the CTA? When’s last time Johnson rode the Green Line, alone, in a suit? If downtown and lakefront street-crime explodes this summer, Chicago won’t recover for many years. More middle-class folks will leave. More companies will… Read more »
Comrade Johnson will outstretch his arms, flash his toothy grin and throw out more doublespeak making everything all right.
You’ve got to ask yourself… who would want to become a Chicago Police Officer when they can drive a few miles north and apply in Wilmette, Skokie or Highland Park ? If there’s something magical about becoming a Police Officer in Chicago… let me know.
How Bout we bring back ‘shoot to kill’ in this shit-hole city and stop coddling these career criminals who have criminal records that date back decades ? Civil Rights didn’t legalize pandemic crime on our streets !
Chicago will not survive the summer. And they deserve it. Nearly the entire population are freeloaders. There are increasing numbers of Novice freeloaders. They’ll become more active once settled with a roof over their head. From2009 through 2012 I went into the city for dinner weekly. I don’t any longer. My only forays into the city involves circuitious routes on the far north side to get up to Glenview. Chicago is in for a bad time. I liked Chicago for 70+ years, even when it smells bad, an odd sour fragrance. Brandon has a plan like Lori, it’s secret too.… Read more »
Look at the bright side. The cops will quit solving the pension crisis/mess the State is in. The thugs will take over Chicago slowly eliminating themselves from the face of the earth.
What more could someone want?
Isn’t Gatewood, CTU/BRANDONs new deputy mayor of Community Safety, one of chief architects/ lobbyists for Saftey Act?
Morale has to do with individual attitude in a group endeavor. Two of its essential features are predominantly personal and private in character, and the third is predominantly social. A satisfactory definition must include three. The first ingredient of morale is the possession by the individual of a solid set of convictions and values which for him make life worth living. Because he believes that he is able to meet what ever emergencies the future has in store for him, his emotional tone is high. He is prepared to put forth a zestful defense of those values that to him… Read more »
I will never set foot in Chicago again, for any reason. Maybe I’ll go back after the city implodes and builds back. And it will implode, guaranteed.
totally agree.
last time I took the Green Line from Oak Park I was spit upon by a rider.
The second to the last time, a BLMer threw her can of soda at me. She wasn’t demanding social justice- she was demanding my money.
I have reached the point where believe it just needs to burn itself down.
When the Oak Parkians have had enough, you know it’s bad;)
So you declare unequivocally that you will never set foot in Chicago for any reason but the very next sentence you declare a reason that would prompt you to possibly go back. Two taps on the spacebar was the level of your conviction. Classic Marie.
Upon opening the Oak Tree in the the original Bloomingdale’s in Chicago, thirty odd years ago at 900 Michigan Avenue, I was offered the prime space, looking south down Michigan Avenue from the top of the Mall. Now, this remarkable retail space, 7,000 square feet, is occupied by a used ladies clothing store ! Parking still a bargain though… only $30 for three hours ! And the tourists have vanished !
Whatever happened to ‘Three Strikes & You’re Out ? Chicago, a breeding ground for criminality !
Having operated a number of restaurants in Chicago over the past five decades, I fully appreciate and value my exit from this shit hole city. Never could I have imagined the random crime, the street thugs and the lawlessness that takes place every day. The Gold Coast, where I most recently operated a 300 seat restaurant @ 900 Michigan Avenue, has become a ‘dead mans zone’, where just going to your car has become a risky proposition. And my customers have either abandoned Chicago for warmed/safer climes or just avoid shopping, strolling and enjoying their lives. Game-Set-Match !
Sorry to see you’re gone – good memories of Oak Tree
Good post.
Fox32 Chicago, which produced this report, is among the few regular media sources in Illinois that is genuinely fair and balanced. Same with Bret Baier at Fox national, IMO. Fox32 and Baier therefore aren’t subject to the complaints rightly directed at some of the other Fox national programs. We are grateful to have them include our viewpoint.
Sorry, I can not agree with your opinion of FOX news. I disagree that they are fair and balanced.
I am interested in your and others’ further opinion on that. Which Illinois news sources are fair or unfair as you see it, and why do you think so?
Fair and balanced?? Really? Are you familiar with the Fairness Doctrine? Can you define fair? This was a talking point 100 years ago. Advancements in modern communication, technology, and the social sciences have identified far more mature issues. Social science research has addressed fairness, and the result is the field of cognitive psychology. We all know the media is messed up, unfair, and making people crazy. Why not venture into how they’re doing it? This is a major story! Everyone wants to point fingers at who is causing trouble, but how they’re doing it and how to fight back is… Read more »
Fair and balanced is indeed open to wide difference of opinion, but at a minimum it means trying to be fair and balanced. Most of traditional media does not try. They lie or deliberately follow a political narrative. I believe the Wall Street Journal’s news pages are the best by that measure. Their editorial has a particular political view, but editorial position is different and that’s OK. RealClear is the gold standard for balance.
Fair and balanced is indeed open to wide difference of opinion, but at a minimum it means trying to be fair and balanced. Most of traditional media does not try. They lie or deliberately follow a political narrative. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try. I believe the Wall Street Journal’s news pages are the best by that measure. Their editorial has a particular political view, but editorial position is different and that’s OK. RealClear is the gold standard for balance (along with our selection of third party stories, I dare to say).
Come on Mark…
Wirepoints – At minimum we’re fair and balanced, because traditional media does not try!
This is a rather underwhelming catchphrase. I know you’ve worked out a more coherent objective. Why are you playing around with your answers?
There’s no “fair and balanced” when the chat is toxic, because any objective information presented is spoiled by overwhelming community contempt and subversion.
I live in an area of Illinois with a local newspaper. Most of the national articles they print come from the east and west coast. This newspaper does not reflect the demographics of this area. I do not subscribe, but skim through it occasionally. Most of what they print is of no interest to me. Television news is similar.
So, no, I don’t think it’s fair.
I’m the same way. I grew reading the newspaper and would still love to, but all you get is syndicated columnists. I no longer bother to try. Even the WSJ I’ve cancelled.
While I absolutely respect your right to make that comment about Fox news, it’s now very clear to most Americans that the Dominion “settlement” was hush money paid by Fox to conceal the truth. Destroying our ability to have free and fair elections will motivate many Americans to completely disengage. They will take care of their families, move to conservative communities, and be armed and ready. They know that both political parties have sold them out. They may re-engage if their new community is not corrupted by woke communist cancer, although these are becoming harder to find except in remote… Read more »
You really need to distinguish the local affiliates from the national shows. They are mostly independent. The locals hire their own reporters and select what balance of stories they run. Don’t blame Fox32 for the Dominion thing at Fox national. Also, at Fox national, there is variance among the shows. I think Bret Baier plays it straight on his show, unlike the evening shows. I also think Fox’s written stories are usually factually accurate, though on story selection they obviously choose mostly things favorable to the right.
Baier is totally onboard with the Ukraine propaganda. But for most other things ok. On Ukraine he tows the Biden and NATO narrative.
No news source will hand you the truth, not fox not CNN, nobody. Truth seekers must search out individual reporters, writers, etc. themselvves. Substack is a good place to start.
They want to lose Police officers so they can replace US Citizen Police Officers with Foreign Non US Citizens DACA individuals. Unconstitutional and frightening to think about it, especially while our Country is being INVADED by unvetted foreigners.
You’re not too far off. The goal is a national police force so the local, county and state police cannot exercise their discretion and elect NOT to illegally enforce certain laws (i.e. gun prohibitions, 4th Amendment issues). That’s the real goal of the consent decrees and the defund the police movement. Defund also includes driving good police officers out of their jobs so the federal government can take over with federal officers “for our safety”. For what it’s worth I’m a retired Chief of Police.
100%. They want a national police force to override the local community police. Aka a Gestapo
Good post.
You wanted him, you got him, Chicago. It will be a long four years.
I don’t want him, and he barely won. Only half the people want him, if you believe the official numbers.
I don’t believe the election was run with any integrity. I believe that software and hardware can be manipulated and hacked to allow for bad actors to flip an election. I believe Vallas won and I am sure Johnson lost. Those that allowed this to happen I do hope they burn in hell for the rest of eternity. I wonder how much vote fraud occurred? I think so much it’s incomprehensible because if you have stacks of Zuckerberg, Soros, cartels cash, you will find someone who will sell us all out. 10,000 Mules is just the tip of the iceberg.
The “other half” of the people who did not vote are just as culpable as those who did vote. Yep, that’s how it works
Only 35% of the people voted. Did you get anyone to go vote? You do anything, probably not. Stop making excuses. Reap what you sow. Chicago is done, took my family and left, this is the final nail in the coffin.
This is what happens when only 18% of the voting public show up! Shame!
Lightfoot 2.0. 100% agree Chicago PD, stand down. Let the city burn until these politicians and judges start to help out.
Death of dedicated police officer
Death of armed crime thug
Totally the same thing
Note to cops in Chicago. DO NOTHING OTHER THAN TAKE REPORTS! No traffic stops, no chases, no guns, no search warrants, no tickets, no parkers, NOTHING. Let Mr Johnson understand that disrespecting YOU will have consequences. Let this scumbag eat his own words.
Hello. Anyone who lives and drives in Chicago has learned that the roads are like the wild west. Except for the red light and speed cameras (another issue) regulatory signs and signals are advisory at best, especially in the south and west sides. And can you blame the understaffed police? Any traffic stop, especially in the aforementioned areas is met with a score of cell phone cameras and accompanying taunts. No good deed goes unpunished until a traffic fatality occurs.
Ironically, this is exactly what residents of bad neighborhoods in Chicago want. This is what they vote for, time and time again, despite protestations of “We don’t want to defund the police, we just want the police to stop harassing our friends and family!” What the community calls harassment, the police call a broken windshield, or blowing a red light. While the community calls searching the vehicle systemic racism, the police call it arresting people with warrants or taking drugs off the streets. And when 97% of the community thinks way, which is incoherent, we get a situation where they… Read more »
You should run for mayor, debtsor. I think you’ve got it all figured out. I’m truly amazed that you can do all of this from your keyboard without any formal degree, without any social management experience, without ever visiting the hood, and without talking to people in person.
Dave Hardy – argument from authority is the worst form of persuasion. Either someone makes sense or they don’t, and their formal degree doesn’t matter. While anecdotal information is rife with challenges, it also has value. I don’t doubt for a minute the experience the poster above relates about her experiences on the Green Line from Oak Park, and no one reasonable would expect her to conduct further research to confirm her unpleasant experiences. Statistically the Green Line may or may not be safer than the poster’s experiences suggest, but this kind of anecdotal material is enough in today’s environmental… Read more »
Here’s the thing: It wouldn’t make any difference in Chicago if more people voted because everything is across racial lines, assuming proportionate racial voter turnout. As for why studies show people stuck in these neighborhoods want more police yet vote for anti-police measures, I’ve explained it already: they hold incoherent and irrational positions. They distrust police but want more police; they want less crime but don’t arrest their family or friends; they want safer neighborhoods but are against incarcerating bad dudes and repeat offenders. The list goes on and on. As Mark has shown – the people in these neighborhoods… Read more »
I agree with 99% of what you said. But I believe that INTELLIGENT people DON’t vote along racial lines. Problem is (and this coincides with everything else you stated) that most of the voters in Chicago are not very intelligent!
There’s a big difference between making sense, anecdotes, and stating as fact: “this is what residents of bad neighborhoods want.” I can’t think of a more ignorant, racist, flippant and insulting statement! This one is tame for him! I keep calling out debtsor because he’s an instigator and on a mission to destroy any cohesion or positive momentum. He literally makes stuff up as he goes and proclaims it as fact, just like above. He speaks on behalf of other people, races and groups, too. I’m a reserved person and will start off a subjective comment with ‘I think’ or… Read more »
Dave, you say this without a sliver of self-awareness: “I can’t think of a more ignorant, racist, flippant and insulting statement! This one is tame for him!”
I have no idea what you mean by this. You’re welcome to tell me off and speak your mind. I like criticism. I call him out because I think he’s a problem. Politics aren’t always pretty. Regarding debtsor: Black people are one issue voters? There aren’t any other variables present? Correlation equals causation? Come on. His post is so bad, it’s not even worth responding to. Matter-of-factly, I’ve come to the conclusion that distraction and disorder is his goal. I’m really disturbed that I’m the only one here calling him out. Everything I’ve posted I can back up with science,… Read more »
Sorry, but despite all your comments here I still don’t really know what your criticism of us is — what you think we should do and not do — except I gather it has something to do with copying government wartime propaganda methods and censoring viewpoints you don’t like.
Propaganda is an odious word. Sophisticated communication techniques can be employed for good or bad purposes. Ultimately, I’m trying to help. I’m stuck in this mess too. I’m not advocating for war or violence. I despise violence and aggression. I’ve never mentioned censorship. I’ve done my best to bring to your attention issues I’ve identified. Group influence is a powerful motivator. Your site prioritizes commentary over article content. I’m guessing lots of people never even read the primary material and go straight to the comments. Everybody should be concerned if the commentary is full of racism and defeatism because this… Read more »
“I’m guessing lots of people never even read the primary material and go straight to the comments.”
You’re wrong about this. Mark has said, and most other bloggers also claim, people who comment or read the comments are a very small fraction of people who actually read the articles.
You’re giving me too much credit. I’m not influencing anyone. I’m just an old man ranting at the sky.
Racism in the commentary here my ass. On the very rare occasions that we’ve seen anything racist, antisemitic, or gay bashing we have banned the commenter permanently. If you want to improve the commentary here start by looking in the mirror.
This graph is cutting edge science and an overall framework that sophisticated political influence peddlers currently employ. There’s no mention of “fairness” because it’s obsolete. It’s obvious some of these processes are present in your site design; intermittent reinforcement is the first one that comes to mind. This is the real story, and educating folks about the political weaponization of the social sciences is the only way things are going to change.
No offense, but of all the incoherent charts of seen that’s the worst. Worthless.
This is the future of artificial intelligence. Obviously, there are prerequisites to understanding it. It’s basically an extremely complicated Bayesian model. Plugging in sophisticated equations yields more quantifiers and what my buddy calls a framework for “regimes of attention,” niche modification, and long-range/ predictive/anticipatory policy selection in deep or nested generative models. Walking through an example will yield more light on it. Native American studies programs are most likely going to be an emotionally charged affair, employing every neuro/cognitive trick in the book to further political goals. Reinterpreting the past and leveraging powerful human survival instincts related to fairness and… Read more »
Indeed as worthless as Kamala’s Venn diagrams.
Show me what is racist and/or wrong about my comment and the incoherence of this particular subset of Democrat voter’s policy request. I know you don’t like when I say this, people will always be people, and the Democrat Party since its inception has been the political home for the irrational and morally questionable. The US has almost always been a two-party system and the worst people have always found a home there. That’s why I can say over a 200 year history the Democrat Party is always on the wrong side of things. The history of the party has… Read more »
What is “social management experience”? I’m not sure what that means.
The two should have never been combined in ANY context. He is saying that the families are both in pain and whether it is a Police Officer or a Criminal, both families experience loss. Maybe that’s true, but the murder of a Police Officer is a damn site different than a Police Officer defending himself against an armed gang banger and the gang banger dies. Like Lightfoot, this guy isn’t smart enough to even understand the difference.