Chicago City Wire

Republican lieutenant governor candidate Stephanie Trussell is calling for safer streets in Chicago. Trussell is the running mate of Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Louisville).

"I want you to take a good look around you to see what is going on in our neighborhoods," Trussell said. "We have boarded-up businesses. There is trash on the streets and graffiti everywhere."

Trussell, who grew up on the West Side of Chicago, which she proudly refers to as the best side of the city, said that the prevailing state of the city is not the Chicago of her childhood.

"I was 15 when I got my second job at a grocery store that was owned by my best friend's dad. Mr. Martin’s family owned a chain of Pick n’ Pay grocery stores," she said. "I worked at the location on 15th and Springfield. My other best friend’s dad, Mr. Sullivan, owned a grocery store on 15th and Kostner. There were a lot of locally owned businesses on the West Side back then. They were run by people who lived here, who went to church with us, and whose kids went to our schools. Our streets were clean, and we took pride in where we lived. We had a strong sense of community. We worked local. We shopped local, and we looked out for each other. After cashing my paycheck as a teen I could walk four blocks and spend my money here. My favorite major retail stores were on Madison between Pulaski and Karlov. I never had to leave my community to shop. There was a McDonald’s and a Burger King right there and Walgreen’s was there." 

Trussell shared how Chicago was back then and how she felt safer.

"My mom would send us to Debbie’s Beauty School to get our hair pressed and curled," she continued. "The building had beautiful architecture outside and a grand marble staircase. The building is still there but it’s surrounded by abandoned businesses. As a teenager I attended dance parties at the Keyman’s Club just west of here. My sister and I were regulars at the skating rink near Chicago Ave. and Pulaski. Seven days a week I was either riding the Pulaski bus or walking down Keeler."

Trussell said things are different now. 

"But what I have just described is a museum of yesterday," she said. "Today, in addition to the abandoned buildings and the trash on our streets, crime is out of control. As a teenager I would work late at McDonald’s in Maywood and use public transportation to get home. I never felt scared on the train or even when I was walking from the Pulaski el stop. I would even take short naps and my only fear was oversleeping and missing my stop. Today taking the el train can mean taking your life in your hands. Unfortunately the Red Line is red with blood. Just ask the family of the 29-year-old dad who was on a late-night train because he was working extra shifts, trying to earn extra money for his daughter's birthday party. He was shot and killed on his way home." 

Trussell continued to compare Chicago's previous neighborhood and circumstances, then and now, nothing that "everything is getting worse."

"Look at what's happening in our schools," she said. "I attended Our Lady of Lourdes Grade School which was located on 15th Keeler. After graduation I went to Lourdes High School near 56th and Pulaski. My friends in my neighborhood attended bustling Chicago Public schools, some offered robust trade school training. Their high schools were also athletic power houses. Today nearly a third of city schools are less than half full. Manley High School has room for 1,300 students, but only about 64 kids are in class. Only 2 percent of the kids can read at grade level. In Chicago Public Schools fewer than one in five third-graders meet state standards for reading and math."

Trussell blamed the decline on the governor.

"J.B. Pritzker and his pals are failing kids and failing neighborhoods like this. We must stop the destruction of our communities. We must stop the crime. We must bring back the jobs. And we must end the back-scratching corruption that allows this to go on. I grew up on the West Side and I always identify as a West Sider. The West Side is where I formed my family values and I will fight for the people in neighborhoods like this. Darren Bailey and I will bring back hope to Garfield Park and all the forgotten neighborhoods of Chicago. We will work with the community to make streets safer. We will create enterprise zones to help Black businesses. And we will provide parents and families choices other than the failing government schools. The sad truth for people like me is this: Our leaders do not care about us. J.B. Pritzker does not care about Garfield Park. J.B. Pritzker does not care about the suffering outside of his billionaire bubble. The only way to bring change is to fire J.B. Pritzker."

Crime in and around Chicago has increased under Kim Foxx's tenure as state's attorney for Cook County. The number of murders has drastically climbed recently, reaching new highs not seen since 1994. In 2022 alone, burglaries increased by 33%, thefts increased by 61%, and auto thefts increased by 45%, Chicago Sun-Times reported.

When deciding to leave Chicago recently, a number of big corporations cited crime rates. Citadel Securities noted that the decision to move from Chicago to Miami was heavily influenced by security concerns. Zia Ahmed, a Citadel spokesman, confirmed to The New York Times that “The firms are having difficulty recruiting top talent from across the world to Chicago given the rising and senseless violence in the city. Talent wants to live in cities where they feel safe.” Other firms moving their headquarters include Boeing and Caterpillar.

Trussell's campaign website noted that she "is no stranger to overcoming adversity. In fact, she did it before she was even born. Her mother chose LIFE and Stephanie has been blazing trails ever since.  Stephanie was born in Chicago and raised on the west side. At just 14 years old, Stephanie got her first job. By 15, she was working at the McDonalds in Maywood, and by 18 she had already earned the role of manager. Stephanie paid her own school tuition that year and learned early the value of hard work and earning an honest living. A natural born leader, Stephanie’s career has spanned several management roles with Goodwill Industries, the Renaissance Hotel Chicago, and eventually the Mayor’s Office of Tourism in Chicago.”