Chicago: Today’s Fire Is Worse Than The One Started By Mrs O’Leary’s Cow

This past weekend our nation recoiled in horror as the young people of Chicago terrorized the downtown area. Businesses were vandalized and innocent drivers were pulled from their cars and attacked. Several people were shot during the rioting and looting that occurred. 

Sadly, this is an all too common occurrence in the Windy City. The court system in Chicago under the leadership of District Attorney Kim Foxx has become a turnstyle for allowing criminals to avoid prosecution and return to the streets. Foxx has made it clear that public rioting and destruction of businesses is not a punishable offense. 

Much of this criminal behavior started with the reaction to the police shooting of the two criminal thugs; Michael Brown and George Floyd. These two men with rap sheets that evidenced their criminal mindset refused to follow police orders and died as a result. (I don’t condone the way that George Floyd was dealt with by the police, but I don’t agree with the white washing of his criminal past) 

In Minneapolis and St. Louis, many people rioted as a result of the deaths of these two men dying. Businesses were burned and chaos reigned across our nation. Too many politicians played down the rioting and destruction of property by claiming that it was a primal scream at the systematic racism that so many of the rioters claimed to have experienced. 

Little did these feckless politicians realize, they were igniting a bonfire that would grow into a forest fire and ultimately force many taxpayers and businesses to leave the communities that needed them most. 

Most citizens wish to live and work in peace in a city that has a vibrant business community that its citizens can patronize. When public officials allowed the rioters to burn businesses without punishment, an acceptable pattern of behavior was established. Many members of these communities realized that they could misbehave without any legal repercussions.

Let’s examine the results of this behavior. Business people do not wish to invest their hard work and savings in a business that can be wiped out and destroyed by rioters upset by some form of violent police interaction. Instead, business people will  invest in an area that offers stability and economic prosperity. 

Recently, WalMart announced that it was closing four stores in Chicago. The Mayor and Mayor-elect said they were disappointed in WalMart’s decision. Mayor-elect Johnson also commented on the recent riots and destruction in downtown Chicago. 

It “is not constructive to demonize youth who have otherwise been  starved of opportunities in their own communities.” After hearing the Mayor-elect’s comments we should not be surprised at the behavior of the young rioters. At school these young people are taught that they are the victims of “white privilege” and “systemic racism.” If you are a victim, why can’t you lash out at the symbols of white privilege. 

Why not ransack a WalMart or Saks Fifth Avenue store. Didn’t white privilege allow the owners of these stores to repress the minority community. 

The abhorrent behavior we see all too often in these big cities is the result of permissive political authorities. These politicians are reaping the fruits of their own misguided policies. It is like the parent who has no curfew for their teenager and then being shocked that he gets into trouble. 

The sad reality is that these urban areas are being abandoned and soon there will be few taxpayers willing to foot the bill for these cities. The biblical proverb has come to fruition: “Spare the rod and spoil the child.”