First and foremost, I told you guys yesterday, definitely gonna be reading that super chat shortly, J-dubs. Thank you. I told you guys yesterday that I was going to be on top of and staying concerned about what was going on over in Chicago because once you occlip the triple digits when it comes to people losing their lives over a weekend, a holiday weekend, where people are supposed to be barbecuing, having a good time, going to see family, you got some extra days off, the weather is good. It’s no reason why we should be in the triple digits over a weekend, which the 4th of July was during the week, right? The 4th of July was on a Thursday, I believe.

But during the weekend, we now have a bunch of people that decide that they want to wreak havoc all across the cities, across the United States of America. But nowhere is that more pronounced. Then right here in good old, top of the Midwest, Chicago, where in my opinion, leadership is failing, budgets are failing, migrants are taking over, and we have a shortage of police officers to the tune of over 2,000. What I did know was that Chicago also had NASCAR in the city. And so what I realized once I started doing some deep diving and research was that not only does Chicago have a shortage of police officers, but also on top of that, the majority of the police officers are so focused on making sure that they can maintain NASCAR, that it then leaves a shortage of responders and police officers across the city in order to prevent crime in the first place.

So the criminals know that all of the visitors and all of the police people are going to be downtown, which in my opinion is a preview of what’s to come when it comes to the Democratic National Convention that is going to be coming up shortly. I should be breaking this down in the Anton Daniel show, but I’m definitely going to address it separately. But before I do, I just want to make sure that I bring this up to the front of the congregation, because we got to keep this at the forefront and for all of the people in the culture that’s so mad at the fact that I’m covering it, instead of being mad at the people that’s continuing to create these criminals, the people that vote the certain way, the people that’s in your leadership, instead of you going to them and holding them accountable, because I don’t see none of y’all calling the mayor’s office, which y’all will definitely leave a comment on this video.

Let’s bring this up because Mayor Johnson, while he was out of town during what has now become the bloodiest weekend of Chicago in 2024, and we just now found that out, is calling for justice inside of his city. Make sure y’all hit a like for the algorithm. Subscribe to the channel and turn on your notifications. Shout out to Jamal Fowler. I’m definitely going to be reading that super chat shortly. WGN Political reporter, Jamal Bradley, takes a closer look at the mayor’s response. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, I’m always open to the possibility that I’m wrong, but I stay connected with my ear in the street, so the only thing that I could be disillusioned about is the specific dates.

The only thing that I can think of that was happening last week, long weekend, holiday weekend, traditionally, when it gets warm outside, especially during holiday weekends over in Chicago, there’s always a bunch of violence, and that happens in multiple cities across the nation, but none more pronounced in Chicago for whatever reason, okay? Only thing that I can think of that was happening in New Orleans at the time was the cash, money, millionaires. It was having a party for Slim and Baby for 30 years in the game, and it had Essence Fest. It was Essence Fest.

That’s the only thing that I can think of that was happening in New Orleans over the weekend. Now, I could be wrong. I could be disillusioned, but I heard that Essence Fest, which was not popping because, first of all, nobody could afford to go. Secondly, I heard that it was raining and it was absolutely trash, and third, I’m so glad that Essence Fest failed because all it had become was a huge alphabet community celebration, and I don’t even know why people still go to Essence Fest in the first place. However, that’s the only thing I can think of that was happening down there in New Orleans.

I wish some of these reporters was able to ask that question because they had their ear to the street, but we’re going to get there. We’re going to get there. Neighbors in the wider Chicago community demanded answers. Today I stand here today heartbroken. More than any other official, the Chicago mayor must wear the stain of the city’s staggering gun violence. Brandon Johnson, a Westside resident, insists he gets it, and he’s up to the challenge. There’s no secret where I live, right? You know, that’s why this is personal for me. I’ve shared this. We’ve had gun shots come through our home.

I’m so sick and tired of losing black boys to violence in this city. It grieves me fiercely. After 19 people were killed, dozens more wounded during the extended Fourth of July weekend, Johnson and his long-term solutions approach face increasing scrutiny. During a morning press event at police headquarters, Johnson was grilled. The mayor was forced to explain why he was not in Chicago on the 4th. Given the fact that Fourth of July is known to be a very violent time in the city of Chicago, do you think that was a wise idea to be out of town? Well, here’s what I can say emphatically, that my work never ends.

It doesn’t. You know, I accept the responsibility of 24-7 on call every day of the week. Last Friday. What does that mean? Listen, listen. Just because y’all, I would rather you use smaller words and be involved than use words that have three or more syllables and think that that’s supposed to mean something to us. The dudes that’s out here doing all of the killing, they can’t even speak past two syllable words. What do you mean? Here’s what I can say emphatically. Here’s what I can say emphatically. My work never ends and I call it the archdiocese and I’m always on call.

I’m always on call. I had my cell phone on while I was in New Orleans at the Essence Festival and you can check my records. What is this supposed to mean? What does this mean? We know what’s going to happen over these weekends. So you telling me you had NASCAR? I mean, the Grand Prix happened in downtown. Not NASCAR. Telling me you had the Grand Prix happened in downtown. Fourth of July weekend and y’all was out here getting it poppin’? Today the fifth, Johnson met people impacted by the violence, including a family that lost three loved ones, including an eight-year-old boy.

Critics want more. Johnson Faux, Alderman Raymond Lopez took to X to highlight shot spotter alerts across the city. This is what the criminal enablers don’t want you to see. Over a three-day period, nearly 500 shooting incidents across the districts with gunshot detection technology, he wrote. Despite the mayor’s decision to cancel the city’s agreement with the company behind the tech, a group of city leaders wants to reverse Johnson. Once again, today the mayor said he’s not changing his mind. Instead, he’ll keep pushing his comprehensive approach to public safety. What is his comprehensive approach to public safety? So the only preventative measure that they have in Chicago, in order to identify what is happening, who’s doing it, where the potential shots can go off at so that the police can have some sort of a preventative measure to get there or to help them in the system, especially considering that they are down over 2,000 police officers, is the one thing that he’s pushing out.

He don’t want to invest in that. We invest in hundreds of millions, even billions of dollars, in Illinois and Chicago alone. This is where our whole leadership accountable, because the only comprehensive problem that we look at, in order to really identify what’s happening over in Chicago, is number one, the parents and the people in the community, because if you’re not holding each other accountable and you’re not telling the people that you already know what’s doing the violence, then you are the first ones that should be held accountable as yourselves.

But then when we talk about leadership and keeping other people in the community safe that have nothing to do with the ones that’s breeding all of the monsters, and you’re not doing the thing that’s in the best interest of the people, and they put up these statistics and show you that, hey, man, this is where all of the gunshots is going off. We got cameras. We can see what’s happening. Shot Spider also helps us to identify exactly where the shots went off and all of this stuff. But we’re going to push a comprehensive plan to make sure that long-term the communities are safe.

Now, short-term, people are dying every day. And most of the people that are dying every day inside of Chicago are not even the ones that’s committing to crimes. Mind. Instead, he’ll keep pushing his comprehensive approach to public safety. My ultimate goal is to transform this city so we cut off the pipeline of boys between the ages of 10 and 19 being either victims or the perpetrators. The mayor also stressed that everyone must take responsibility for helping end violence. And tomorrow, along with city health leaders, the Johnson administration will explain how residents can do just that.

Let’s pivot. Let’s look at it from another angle. They had a whole press conference. And he did the same thing that the black church do. We did a preach-a-monie. Today, I stand here today heartbroken. Over 100 people have been shot in this city. 19 people have been killed this holiday weekend. But these are not just numbers on pages. These are not just headlines in the news. It’s so hard for me to take a duel wearing a mohawk in a leadership position seriously. No. These are our fellow Chicagoans. They’re our neighbors. Family members who’ve lost their lives.

These are 19 families whose lives are forever altered. And 19 families who woke up this morning without a son, without a daughter, without a mother, without a father, without an aunt, without an uncle. Over 100 people whose lives will never be the same. Whose next chapter in life is recovery and healing from this violence. These 100 people are members of families and communities. Numbering in the thousands who are also feeling the devastation and the impact of the incessant violence in the city of Chicago. Incessant. We’re going to go ahead and earmark that. We’re going to look that up later because we’re going to add that to our vocabulary.

You know, we just see students over here. I know all too well how this shows up as I’ve often encountered the trauma in my classroom with my former students after a violent and horrific weekend. As a father raising a family on the west side of Chicago. This violence we are seeing, it’s very close to home. This violence plaguing our community, it is deeply personal. This is not about just simply tallying our pain. This violence that happened this weekend did not happen in a vacuum, however. No. It didn’t. We are standing here today talking about a violent weekend because of generations of disinvestment.

What next, reparations is going to fix the problem? And deep disenfranchisement in the exact communities where so much of the violence is taking place. Come on fam. One thing that I know for sure, one thing that I know for sure, and this is the absolute honest to God truth. One thing that I know for sure is that when we grew up, we didn’t have a whole lot. We did not have a whole lot and we had a whole community of people to feed. It’s probably where I get my inspiration from as far as always pouring into my people.

But the one thing that I know for sure and two things is for certain, is that being poor or not having resources or trying to pour yourself out the mud does not constitute having a violent background. It does not constitute killing people. It does not constitute taking lives. It don’t. One thing I know for sure and two things is for certain, is that just because you don’t have a whole lot don’t mean that you’re going to take somebody else’s life. Please miss me with that. As a person that grew up in the inner city of Detroit, there is never a reason or an excuse that you can use to justify taking somebody else’s life.

There are communities all over this country, strong communities, they hold each other accountable. I know poor white communities that you may find a method to. But if you park on a lawn, boy, they’re going to bring them sticks out. Here it is, here it is, here it is, here it is on my lawn. I know black communities, strong black communities. We’ve had them, we have them. They were dedicated, neighborhood watch. Man listen, when we didn’t have nothing, but we stayed within community and we dedicated ourselves to add value on each other’s lives and we held each other accountable and we didn’t have the children out of wedlock and we held these same principles and we prayed together, we stayed together, we focused on each other, we had a community mindset and if you got out of line or if you did something at school, then the teacher was an extension of me and they had permission to even kick your ass.

We were different. We had a different mindset, don’t tell me that money, listen, money don’t make you a better person. It makes you more of what you already are. When I pray in the morning, I don’t pray for more money, I don’t pray for resources, I pray for greater character because I know that character is the thing that’s going to keep me, regardless of whether or not I have money or I don’t have money. But one thing is for showing, two things is for certain, I’m never going to change the character of who I am, regardless of whether or not I got it or I get it.

I call somebody and I call people regularly, I run into people regularly all the time and they say in time, you’ve been the same way since she was in high school, with money, not having money, no matter what happened, the ebbs and the flows because life is an ebb and a flow. You’re not going to always have it, not always going to get it. You’re going to have some, you’re going to lose some, you’re going to go up, you’re going to go down, but nobody can sit there and tell me that that is a reason or an excuse for you to go and take somebody else’s life.

A hundred people getting shot, a hundred people getting shot, and a weekend is insane. I don’t care where you from, what city you reside in, what part of America you in, if you were in the third world country, it’s insane. Can’t stand politicians sometimes, man. It’s all posturing. But we are here to say emphatically that this is enough. It’s enough. When this reckless violence ravages across our city, this magnitude, we are losing a piece of the soul of Chicago. Not saying nothing. It deeply pains me to admit that. But it is true.

But I will not stand idly by, we will not be passive in this moment. We need to ensure that we are holding every single individual accountable for the pain and trauma and the torment that they have caused in this city. There will be consequences. There will be consequences. You talking about the SAFE-T Act? They’ll be out tomorrow, no bond. If you even catch them, because there’s too many unsolved murders. The only murders that get solved in Chicago are the ones against police officers. Violence, we will not let criminal activity ruin and harm our city.

And just because you talk like this with your teeth, they don’t mean nothing. Anyways, they did grill him and they did ask him a question about what was going on and why he was out of town during the bloodiest weekend in July. Sarah Schulte, ABC 7. I understand both of you guys were at the in the Grand Crossing neighborhood on Friday night, I believe. I have a question for the mayor. That is… Hey, he couldn’t wait to step out of the way. Police chief can’t wait to step out of the way.

This for you, mayor. Quite a few hours after the initial event. Were you out of town on Thursday? I was out of town earlier this week. We’re on Thursday, on 4th of July. Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t gaslight me. Don’t say earlier this week to ask you Thursday specifically, sir. We’re out of town. Yes. Given the fact that that is… 4th of July is known to be a very violent time in the city of Chicago, do you think that was a wise idea to be out of town? Well, here’s what I can say emphatically.

That my work never ends. It doesn’t. You know, I accept the responsibility of 24-7 on call every day of the week. It’s very seldom do I get a chance to celebrate, you know, on a personal level. But, you know… Translations, SFS, SFS, y’all. Very rarely do I get a chance. You don’t get weekends off when you’re the leader of a city. That’s just the way to the job. I’m sorry. There is no weekend of the bloodiest weekend off. You just don’t get that. If you didn’t like the terms, then you shouldn’t have ran for mayor.

You know, the communications between my office, Chicago Police Department, OEMC, our state and federal partners, none of that stops because I’m out of town. Of course, once I arrived for the entire weekend, as has been indicated, we had an early morning call on Friday with our summer operations… He said I’m working remote. Hey, Brandon Johnson said, listen, fam, I was working remote from the Essence Fest over in New Orleans. Police Department, Chicago Fire Department, OEMC, of course I was there for Operation Wake Up and throughout the entire weekend.

Just a quick question for either one of you on the crisis centers. We’ve had those before, we’ve covered them before, and nobody shows up. So I understand you’re trying to help victims, but if no one shows up, is that the best use of city resources? Well, there’s other ways in which our partners connect with victims of violence. But they put money into something that’s not working in the community. Got it. Our deputy mayor of community safety as well as Glen Brooks, they work very hard to make sure that these services and resources are available to folks.

So any and everything that we do is for the benefit of people. Listen, man, y’all can be gaslit if y’all want to, but I know what ineffective leadership looks like. I know what ineffective leadership looks like. It looks just like a mohawk. It looks just like a mohawk. Ineffective leadership look like this. Real talk. And if, you know, I used to know this guy. I ran into him a couple times. I called him the other guy, right? Real true story. I called him other guy. He used to be on a panel with me, and we used to call him, what was his name? Chicago Rilla, right? Kind of gave you a Teletubby Vibes.

Very, very nice. Care Bear. I used to call him Care Bear, but they used to call him Rilla. I used to call him Care Bear, especially the Purple Bear. I used to love him, right? And if he was the mayor of Chicago, this is something similar that he would do. He would pander. He would go back and forth and continue to gaslight you. He would simp out to women. He would be focused on reparations. He would say a lot of dumb stuff, similar to how he used to say on the panel.

And he just so happened to be from Chicago also, so now I’m starting to wonder if this is something that’s in the water. Is this something that Chicago breeds? Do they only breed panderers and killers? Or is it some real ones over in Chicago that could really stand up and really hold it down? Or is everybody in the community moving the same way? Is everybody in the community moving the same way? Are they all panda bears? Huh? Do they all dress weird and got weird haircuts? You remember, Toy? I remember them.

A lot of pandering out here in these streets. Anyways, neither here nor there. That’s just something that I observe. I told you all I was going to say on top of this story. I’m definitely going to say… I’m definitely going to say it on top of the story. Shout out to everybody that understand what’s happening over in these streets, man. Thank you. [tr:trw].

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