Chicago City Wire

The Illinois Freedom Caucus is warning Democrats that the City of Chicago has changed since the last time the Democratic National Convention was held in the city. 

This year's Democratic National Convention will be held in August. 

“The last time Democrats held their National Convention in Chicago was 1996 when the Party nominated Bill Clinton for President. Democrats danced the Macarena at the convention as they celebrated the nomination of crime-fighter Bill Clinton who made public safety the centerpiece of his 1996 campaign,” the Illinois Freedom Caucus said in a press release. “When Democrats gather in Chicago in 2024, they will be facing the hard truth that Bill Clinton’s centrist policies no longer have the support of the majority of Democrats. Where Bill Clinton supported the police, today’s Democrats are actively working to defund them. Democrats gathering in Chicago will be exposed to one of the most violent cities in the nation thanks to the radical policies of Governor JB Pritzker, former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, and newly elected Mayor Brandon Johnson.” 

The group called the Democrats "hypocrites."

“The delegates will be treated to speech after speech celebrating the new Democratic Party’s soft-on-crime approach while simultaneously enjoying a level of protection average citizens will never be able to access," the press release reads. "The very police officers the Democratic party holds in such contempt are the same people who will be working overtime to protect the delegates coming to Chicago. The Democrats’ hypocrisy and double-speak knows no bounds.” 

The press release also highlighted state problems that Democrats have caused. 

“Democrats may not dance the Macarena in 2024, but they will be celebrating despite the meteoric rise in crime, record inflation, out-of-control gas prices and sky-rocketing heating and cooling bills thanks to President Biden’s radical environmental policies," the Illinois Freedom Caucus said. "We would hope the Democrats coming to Chicago could learn a lesson about how not to govern but we are not holding our breath. The selection of Chicago, which just elected another soft-on-crime mayor, as the site for the 2024 Democratic National Convention speaks volumes about where the party is on the issue of crime, and it is the complete opposite of where Democrats were in 1996.” 

The statement comes after the Democratic National Committee announcement noting Chicago will be the convention’s home in 2024. 

“I am thrilled that Democrats will take the stage in Chicago to share our party’s vision and values,” DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said, according to CNN. “The Midwest reflects America and will give Democrats an opportunity to showcase some of President Biden and Vice President Harris’s most significant accomplishments for American families.”

Wirepoints released a survey of 75 of the nation’s cities. The survey found Chicago and New Orleans were the nation’s murder capitals. In 2022 Chicago had the most murders of any other city with 697, the 11th year in a row the city has held that distinction. 

“Chicago suffers from a trifecta of failure: Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, the county's Chief Judge Timothy Evans and Mayor Lori Lightfoot have crippled criminal justice and destroyed police morale,” Matt Rosenberg, Ted Dabrowski, and John Klingner wrote for Wirepoints. 

Wirepoints reported the murder rate in the city increased after BLM riots wracked the city. The group said the city’s lax attitude towards crime has led to higher crime rates. 

“Much of the deadly violence traces back to a broader decriminalization effort by officials that has increased tolerance for lower-level crimes,” Wirepoints wrote.

Earlier this year Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis visited Illinois in a three-state tour on President’s Day. The “Back the Blue” events were aimed at law enforcement. 

“The reason why you have crime that is spiraled out of control in so many of these different areas is because you have politicians putting woke ideology ahead of public safety,” DeSantis said to a crowd of law enforcement officers at the Elmhurst Knights of Columbus Hall, according to Dupage Policy Journal. “As you see, massive increases in crime in places like Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia. Florida has a 50-year low in our crime rate.”