“I write to you today to call your attention to and urge action on the devastating violence in Chicago,” begins a letter from President Donald Trump to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. A long overdue message to the two clueless politicians about the deadly violence that routinely rocks the Windy City.
The White House released the letter last night and it is all over the place on Saturday morning. (Not CNN so much, of course.) It calls out the “lack of leadership” and “lack of commitment” to their citizens. You know, their cowardice.
President Trump's letter to the Governor of Illinois and Mayor of Chicago: https://t.co/nW8xCPQfTX
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 27, 2020
Violence and death, which are disproportionately harming young African Americans, are tragic and unacceptable, particularly on such a shocking scale. According to the Chicago Sun Times, “shootings across the City increased by 71 percent last month,” and just this past weekend 102 people were shot in the city’s most violent weekend of the year. A 3-year old toddler was killed. More Americans have been killed in Chicago than in combat zones of Afghanistan and Iraq combined since September 11, 2001, a deadly trend that has continued under your tenure.
Although the letter demands that they see past partisanship in the interest of their citizens – which they absolutely should objectively be doing regardless of whether they think Trump is himself being partisan, and which also they are absolutely NOT doing – they responded in typical bloviating-partisan-hack-who-doesn’t-care-about-their-citizens fashion.
I don’t need leadership lessons from Donald Trump.
— Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) June 27, 2020
It is despicable, disgusting and all too typical. Same old tired playbook. How about some leadership not steeped in the divide and conquer tactics?
— Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) June 27, 2020
The governor couldn’t even be bothered to respond in person.
The people of this state and this nation have unfortunately come to expect his unhinged attempts to politicize tragedy with his predictable and worn out strategy to distract, distract, distract.
— Jordan Abudayyeh (@JordanAbudayyeh) June 27, 2020
The letter concludes:
Unfortunately, you continue to put your own political interests ahead of the lives, safety, and fortunes of your own citizens. The people of Chicago deserve better.
So you can see they lived up to expectation.
The bottom line is that if you live in Chicago count on continuing to be shot at. Your mayor and governor are too busy trying to get on CNN.
Here’s the whole excellent, necessary letter.
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