It seems that the residents of Chicago have had enough of the rioting and looting that have been occurring since the death of George Floyd. On Sunday, a gathering of community activists called for the deploying of the national guard to aid police in quelling the unrest.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that a group of Chicagoans “implored Gov. J.B. Pritzker to declare a state of emergency and have the Illinois National Guard deployed to Chicago on Sunday, just two days after Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her allies stymied a similar push during a special City Council meeting.”

Members of the group noted the drastic increase in gun violence in the summer months and castigated Mayor Lori Lightfoot for her failure to stop the rioting. They also pointed out that the Chicago Police Department is having trouble dealing with the protesters due to their sheer numbers. 

“This mayor, Lori Lightfoot, she can’t control the city. It’s out of hand,” said Raul Montes Jr., a former candidate for City Council and the state Senate, during a press conference. “We need the National Guard to help out the police.”

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On Friday, a proposal that would have the governor declare an emergency and deploy the National Guard was brought to committee for consideration on a 30-17 vote. Lightfoot rebuked the four aldermen who are promoting the measure, accusing them of “grandstanding.” 

Anthony Beale, one of the aldermen who are pushing the proposal struck back at Lightfoot, stating that the objective is to have the National Guard back up the city’s police, not conduct patrols. He accused the mayor of having no plan” to deal with the rampant looting and rioting that has destroyed much of the city. 

The mayor claims that using the National Guard “can go disastrously wrong” if its members are not deployed effectively. However, her arguments don’t seem to be swaying the activists who wish to see an end to the violence. 

Activist Frank Coconate praised the four aldermen for putting their “focus and attention on the problem.” 

After noting that protesters have pelted officers with objects and one cop was struck with a skateboard during a demonstration last weekend, activist Frank Coconate credited Lopez and other aldermen for placing their “focus and attention on the problem.” He said, “These police are on their own out there, and it’s despicable what’s going on in this city … We’re a laughingstock in the nation right now.”

Local governments in cities like Chicago have been facing widespread looting and riots ever since the death of George Floyd. But despite the violence and mayhem, most of these cities are still kowtowing to the “Defund the Police” crowd. 

In fact, many progressive politicians are more concerned with condemning the police trying to keep people safe than with the people who are destroying public and private property under the guise of standing up for black people. Democratic leaders like Lightfoot are more than willing to use the police to protect themselves, but when citizens call for additional help for the police, they balk. But can any of us be surprised?

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