Chicago City Wire

Jeanne Ives, a former legislator and founder of Breakthrough Ideas, has attributed the rising juvenile crime rate in Illinois to the policies of the Democratic Party. She expressed this view in a post on X dated March 31.

"Your party has run Chicago for almost 100 years," said Ives. "You've effectively run the state since 2001. Your party controls every elected office in Cook County-wide government. You and your party's policies are the problem."

Ives was reacting to a message from Illinois Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza, who called on Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to take action following a "teen takeover" in downtown Chicago that resulted in a shooting incident. Earlier in March, another shooting involved a tourist visiting with her son. Mendoza's post referenced an incident where a 15-year-old was shot and 14 individuals were arrested during another teen takeover.

Screenshot of Jeanne Ives' March 31 post on X | X

According to reports, the teen takeover took place in the Streeterville neighborhood on March 28, when hundreds of teenagers gathered. At approximately 9:41 p.m., shots were fired at North City Front Plaza Drive, injuring one teenager with a graze wound as others fled. The group then moved through North Columbus Drive and East Illinois Street, obstructing traffic. Teens engaged in street fights, threw objects, and one person used a stun gun during the chaos. WGN 9 reported that Alderman Brian Hopkins described these takeovers as inherently dangerous and noted that police arrested 14 people while six juveniles were detained for curfew violations.

In response to the incident, Mayor Brandon Johnson proposed creating more positive activities and spaces for teens to prevent such occurrences. However, Alderman Hopkins disagreed with this approach and advocated for an earlier curfew than the current 10 p.m., arguing it would empower police to intervene sooner.

Jeanne Ives is known for her tenure as an Illinois State Representative for House District 42 over six years. According to Ballotpedia, she ran for governor in 2018 and later sought election for Illinois’ 6th Congressional District in 2020. She currently resides in Wheaton, Illinois.