The City That Used to Work

Mayor Richard J. Daley

I miss Mayor Daley. Richard J. Daley was a multi-term mayor who led Chicago into becoming one of the most successful big cities in the country. While other major cities were declining, Mayor Daley built Chicago’s Loop, the Magnificent Mile, and its many ethnic neighborhoods into some of the most admired urban areas in the world. A legacy that still exists. Time magazine noted this at the time and credited Daley in an article entitled “Chicago—The City That Works.” Daley also had the wisdom to hire Orlando Wilson as his police chief, keeping the city relatively safe.

After Mayor Daley died suddenly in 1974 while in office, the next consequential mayor of Chicago was Harold Washington, the city’s first black mayor.

I will never forget “No Crime Day.” In the mid-1980s, Mayor Washington attempted a novel approach to dealing with rising crime - especially in black neighborhoods. By declaring a day in which there would be no crime in Chicago. When I heard that, I had to laugh. As if the criminal gangs that ruled those neighborhoods cared what any politician said, even one who shared their ethnicity. Murder meant nothing to them. If they thought someone deserved to die, they would execute them. Usually in a drive-by shooting. And if an innocent young black child was caught in the crossfire… too bad.

Our current mayor, Brandon Johnson, may not be declaring silly things like “No Crime Day,” but his progressive policies are about as effective. Instead of enhancing law enforcement, he has done his best to hamper it. Almost every policy supported by the police department has been rejected. Every policy approved by a majority vote of the City Council was vetoed. On the grounds that these measures supposedly would not reduce crime.

This should surprise no one who paid attention to Johnson’s views before he ran for mayor. He openly supported defunding the police. Even though he supposedly changed his view when he deiced to run for mayor - his actions since taking office amount to the same thing.

Mayor Johnson wants to address what he calls the “core issues” - young people with too much idle time and no opportunities for decent wages turning to crime. His solution was to build basketball courts in high-crime neighborhoods and create jobs to keep young people out of trouble.

I have no objection to these kinds of initiatives. Many are worthwhile—if the city can afford them. But they are no substitute for the values missing in the lives of too many young hooligans. Values whose absence often turns them into violent criminals and unrepentant murderers. Nor can these initiatives replace effective police work, which requires the city to give officers the tools they need to enforce the law.

But even that isn’t enough. Progressive politicians like Mayor Johnson and Governor Pritzker have made things worse. The governor signed “no cash bail” into law. Serious criminals are still remanded into custody, but those accused of lesser crimes are released with what amounts to a “get out of jail free” card. Many never return for trial, choosing instead to commit more crimes. And in some cases escalate to violent crimes

It is true that the poor often lack the money to post bail while the wealthy do not. There is injustice in that. But that does not justify giving them all an unconditional release.

Progressives claim they are solving a problem rooted in racism. Maybe so. But at what price? Policies like these put the public at serious risk.

About a week ago, a man named Lawrence Reed poured gasoline on Bethany McGee and set her on fire in an unprovoked attack on a CTA train. This young woman suffered severe burns to her head and body and remains in critical condition. Reed is obviously a very sick individual, but this was not his first arrest. He had 72 prior arrests. The fact that he was not in prison is the direct result of a criminal justice system shaped by the kinds of policies our governor and mayor champion.

There have been countless other incidents in Chicago that could have been prevented with common-sense law enforcement and a judicial system that prioritizes public safety over the convenience of accused criminals.

I was glad to see the president express outrage over what happened to Ms. McGee and reiterate his intention to send the National Guard to Chicago to support law enforcement. That the governor and mayor vehemently rejected this idea - calling it some sort of military coup - does not surprise me. We wouldn’t need the National Guard if our local leaders were willing to do their jobs and give law enforcement the tools and the manpower they need

I, for one, will be happy to see more law enforcement personnel on the streets. If the mayor and governor do not care enough about innocent victims like Bethany McGee, at least someone with the authority to act does.

Until the next mayoral election - when, hopefully, a new mayor will enhance the police department enough for it to manage the situation alone - the National Guard will have to do. May 

God protect them. Chicago needs someone with the courage to treat law and order, the way Mayor Daley once did. 

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