Chicago mayor calls for Gaza cease-fire, but social media reminds him of violence gripping his own city
Johnson said 'the killing has to stop,' according to a PBS reporter
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was lampooned Thursday after calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war when many pointed out that his own city could use one.
Chicago has become infamous for its crime crisis. Fox News analyst Gianno Caldwell, who lost his 18-year-old brother to a 2022 shooting incident in Chicago, has called his hometown an "active war zone."
Johnson has joined other progressives in calling for a cease-fire in Gaza, saying "the killings need to stop," but his remarks didn’t go over well with conservatives when Chicago PBS reporter Heather Cherone shared them on social media.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Author Tim Murtaugh sarcastically responded, "Has he achieved a cease-fire in Chicago and moved on to international diplomacy now?"
Journalist David Harsanyi joked, "Netanyahu should call for a cease-fire in Chicago."
One person wrote, "Let's cease-fire Chicago first, champ," while another added, "Would someone tell this guy about the crime and slaughter on Chicago's streets? These people are tone-deaf. That's not your job or your responsibility, Mayor."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
STRING OF RETAIL THEFTS, BURGLARIES BY MIGRANTS PLAGUING CHICAGO SUBURB: AUTHORITIES
New York Post reporter Jon Levine also asked if we could first have a cease-fire in Chicago, linking to a report about horrific summer violence in the Windy City.
A yearslong gang conflict between factions of the Black Disciples and Gangster Disciples on Chicago's South Side has contributed to the violence. Morris Pasqual, the acting U.S. attorney in Chicago, recently said his office will continue working with law enforcement "to prioritize combating the unacceptable level of gang violence in Chicago."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chicago also has a problem with car theft, as the number of vehicle thefts reported last year is the highest in 23 years, according to the Illinois Policy Institute. The arrest rate for car theft fall to 2.6%, but data collected through the Chicago Data Portal showed that it was the lowest level since the city started tracking crime online in 2001.
The Illinois Policy Institute's report also blames the city's "on-going police officer shortage" for not improving "the city’s chances of catching offenders," citing Mayor Johnson's 2024 budget that eliminated 833 police positions.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks about the ongoing migrant crisis during an interview on MSNBC's "Politics Nation." (MSNBC)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The House Judiciary GOP's social media account also weighed in, saying, "what we really need is a ceasefire in Chicago."
Cities across the U.S. have passed proclamations calling for a cease-fire in the Middle East.
Attendees of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors went viral this month for dancing in celebration over the resolution they passed calling for one. There has been no indication Israel has taken heed of any American progressive calls for it to stop its military operations in Gaza.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks to CNN on December 29, 2023. (Screenshot/CNN)
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Fox News’ Pilar Arias, Gabriel Hays and the Associated Press contributed to this report.