Crime, crime, crime. Also: crime. If there’s one issue responsible for the surprising downfall of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot — who last week became the city’s first incumbent to lose re-election in four decades, after failing to advance out of a primary round — it’s public safety. Here’s hoping other big-city mayors get the message.
Chicago’s recent plight is hard to overstate. Already in 2023, more than 70 people have been slain. That follows a surge in gun violence during the pandemic, with more than 800 people killed in 2021 and nearly 700 last year. Total serious crime rose by more than 33% from 2019, when Lightfoot took office, to 2022.
These infractions go beyond garden-variety urban nuisances. Serious gang violence remains a plague. Organized criminal groups have brazenly looted retail stores across the city, including in the main shopping district. Carjackings, muggings and shootings have become all but routine. Predominantly Black neighborhoods have borne the brunt of the chaos.
Ominously, a growing number of big businesses — including Boeing Co. and Tyson Foods Inc. — have been fleeing the city. Ken Griffin’s Citadel LLC, headquartered in Chicago for decades, pulled out last year after several employees were victimized by crime.
“There is a general sense out there that our city is in crisis,” said Chris Kempczinski, head of McDonald’s Corp., last year. “It’s becoming increasingly difficult to operate a global business out of Chicago and Illinois.”