Chicago City Wire

The Illinois Republican Party is criticizing Democrats for failed leadership on public safety. 

The party pointed to a recent incident in which four restaurants were robbed in 30 minutes on Chicago’s north side. 

“High Taxes. Out of Control Crime. Out of Touch Leadership,” the Illinois Republican Party said on Facebook. “Illinois is driving business away Every. Single. Day.”

On June 4, a series of robberies occurred at various restaurants on the North Side of the city, all taking place within a 30-minute timeframe, according to WGN9. The police believe that the same group of burglars targeted all four restaurants located on the Northwest Side. The first robbery occurred shortly before 4:00 a.m. at Rojo Gusano in North Center, followed by a Mexican restaurant in Ravenswood just ten minutes later. Subsequently, a pizza place on Sunnyside was also robbed. The suspects gained entry to each establishment by using a pry tool to break the glass windows, and it is suspected that they stole cash registers and alcohol. The targeted restaurants were situated in North Center and Lakeview. The most recent robbery took place around 4:20 a.m. on North Lincoln Avenue near Diversey Parkway and Racine. Detectives are currently searching for up to five suspects, but detailed descriptions have not yet been released. The suspects were reportedly wearing face masks and hooded sweatshirts.

Within the first month of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's term, the city has experienced a significant increase in crime, with a 38% spike compared to the same period last year. Vehicle thefts saw a staggering increase of 153%, aggravated battery rose by 17%, burglary jumped by 12%, and shootings went up by 5%, Washington Examiner reported. The only exception was a 5% decrease in murders, which accounted for just three fewer fatalities. Despite social media posts focusing on other topics, there has been minimal attention given to public safety and crime-related issues. Johnson's previous support for defunding the police and lack of action on the crime wave raises questions about his approach to addressing this critical issue. Urgent action is needed to prevent further harm to the city's residents.

McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski called out Chicago over its crime problem in comments to the Economic Club of Chicago. He noted McDonald’s employees in Chicago are afraid to ride mass transit. 

“Everywhere I go, I’m confronted by the same question: ‘What’s going on in Chicago?’” Kempczinski said. 

Kempczinski, a Chicago resident, said the company sees the crime problem worsening daily. 

“We see every single day in our restaurants what’s happening at society at large,” he said. “It’s not going to be something that McDonald’s can solve on its own. We need to be able to do it with the public sector as well.”