Chicago City Wire

Republican candidate for governor Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Louisville) echoed his pledge for a safer Illinois as Gov. J.B. Pritzker is "set to unleash 'The Purge.'"

Bailey held a press conference Sept 15 near Emily Hotel in Chicago and called out the governor, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and State's Attorney Kim Foxx whom he previously dubbed "the three musketeers of crime in Chicago."

"We are standing today near the spot where two tourists were mugged at gunpoint just outside their hotel door last night," he said. "This is not a test. This is a wake-up call: Chicago is living 'The Purge,' when criminals ravage at will and the cops are told to stand down. J.B. Pritzker and his cohorts in mayhem are directing the film. With his Safe-T Act, JB is set to unleash 'The Purge' in neighborhoods all over Illinois as of Jan. 1."

Bailey brought up the murder rate in Chicago.

"For those who will not see – many in the media, those who deny the hellhole Chicago has become, more people have been murdered in Chicago this year than New York City and Los Angeles combined. Let that sink in. More than 500 dead so far. J.B. Pritzker, Lori Lightfoot, and Kim Foxx are personally responsible. For those who will not see: lift the veils from your eyes before they are ripped away by one of the gangs or criminals that our leaders have set free. Watch the video of a gang of armed robbers terrorizing Wicker Park residents Monday. The cops spotted them getting away, but were told to stand down. Don’t try to catch them. Don’t pursue. That’s the rule in Chicago. Those Wicker Park robbers are serial criminals and went scot-free and they will return." 

Bailey also reacted to Democrat Chicago 12th Ward Alderman George Cardenas who said “Public safety in Chicago is a joke. Why bother calling police?” 

"Except it’s not a joke," the senator from Xenia said. "It’s a nightmare. Chicago has strict vehicle pursuit guidelines that make it impossible for police to do their jobs and let criminals go free. And it gets worse: J.B. Pritzker is so enamored with these horrific rules, that he passed legislation that imposes them on the ENTIRE state. Soon, all of Illinois will look like Chicago—like a scene from a horror film come to life. We can and we must stop this." 

Bailey laid out his plans to remedy the situation.

"Here’s what I will do: 1) Fire J.B. Pritzker. 2) Repeal the Safe-T Act and restrictions on police pursuit of criminals. 3) Pass legislation that allows Cook County voters to recall their state’s attorney," he said. "Because even if the robbery gangs were arrested, there’s a good chance State’s Attorney Kim Foxx would send them back to the street. 4) Pass legislation cracking down on gangs. I have already co-sponsored legislation that would increase penalties for armed robberies and juvenile carjackings. Let’s pass those bills now. This nightmare movie only ends when we change the people in charge. If you want to see scenes like Wicker Park replay themselves in neighborhoods across the state, then J.B. Pritzker is your guy. J.B. Pritzker is a governor for criminals—not law-abiding citizens. If you want change, you have to change the leaders at the top. Residents of the once-world-class city of Chicago, people of Illinois who want to stop Chicago’s nightmare from spreading across the state, I call on you to join me in my bid to restore Illinois and return hope to our people."

Roving bands of robbers have been terrorizing the West Lakeview area over the past three weeks WGN9 reported. Residents of the neighborhood said they are anxiety-ridden after a dozen individuals suffered incidents of armed robberies. The attackers were described as two Black men in their 20s wearing ski masks in a four-door sedan.

The epidemic of daytime robberies was encapsulated in the "scream ad" which was recently pulled by TV stations across the region. The ad by The People Who Play By The Rules PAC focused on one incident of daylight robbery n the Westview neighborhood. The ad opens with a line flashed on the screen, “On a Sunday afternoon in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood…” A woman is seen walking quickly down a residential street on a lovely day in the advertisement when suddenly a car stops and three men get out to attack her. As the victim wailed in pain, the attackers knocked her to the ground and kicked her. “How much worse does it have to get?” the ad reads at its conclusion. The attackers in the ad match the description provided by WGN. The People Who Play By The Rules PAC has been focusing its messaging efforts on Pritzker’s failures on crime.

Bailey’s caution comes as the Safe-T Act is set to go into effect on Jan. 1. Opponents say the law will result in the release of thousands of defendants who are now being held while they await trial. When processing those who are awaiting trial, courts must act more rapidly. Opponents claim if the Safe-T Act is carried out as intended, those charged with the most horrific crimes—such as robbery, kidnapping, arson, second-degree murder, intimidation, aggravated battery, aggravated DUI, aggravated flight, drug-related homicide, and threatening a public official—will be set free, Will County Gazette reported.