Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Acts Stupidly in Remarks on City’s Smash and Grab Looting Spree – Opinion

Back in July 2009 when then-President Obama proclaimed the Cambridge Police “acted stupidly” when they arrested Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. outside of his Massachusetts home on grounds of disorderly conduct after a neighbor had called 911 claiming they saw someone (who as it turns out was Gates) trying to break into Gates’s home, the remark stuck with me.

Not because Obama was right (he wasn’t) but because it describes so many situations where politicians on either side of the aisle and other prominent public figures make an already volatile situation so much worse due to ignorance, whether it be the willful kind or the genuine variety.

Sadly for the residents of Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) frequently acts stupidly in responses to the crises (some of them self-inflicted) that erupt in her city, as we’ve documented extensively here.

The latest instance of Lightfoot engaging in this unfortunate behavior came just this week, when in response to the smash and grab looting spree and violent crime wave that is plaguing the city she’s charged with running, she in part took a dangerous “blame the victim” approach, insinuating that retail store owners were partly at fault for what was happening to them:

“I’m disappointed that they’re not doing more to take safety and make it a priority,” she said. “For example, we still have retailers that won’t institute measures like having security officers in their stores, making sure that they’ve got cameras that are actually operational.”

Watch:

You own a downtown Chicago business⁦⁦@chicagosmayor⁩Protecting your shop should be a priority.

Why pay so high property taxes then? ⁦@MorningAnswer⁩ pic.twitter.com/jlTWSMv4t7

— Amy Jacobson (@AmyJacobson) December 6, 2021

With the thought in mind that most of the stores that are being looted by smash and grabbers in Democrat-run cities and states are the big department stores like Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom’s, the likelihood is that they already have security guards in place and cameras that operate as they should. Let’s assume for purposes of discussion that that is the case.

Short of having an army of armed security guards lined up in front of those stores – which is not going to happen because it would likely deter shoppers in a big way, what’s going to stop the mobs of smash and grabbers from overpowering a security guard(s) posted in front of or in the store and getting into them to grab the merchandise? Nothing.

We actually saw two cases in California where a security guard in a mall was attacked and in which a private security guard, Kevin Nishita (an ex-police officer) was killed while protecting a news crew from the scene of an earlier smash and grab in Downtown Oakland.

Also, this is a video that shows how mobs of people with no other choice will rush innocent people without apparent motive and begin beating them to death.

WATCH: Chicago police cancel their scheduled days to handle ongoing crimes after beating a bus driver.

Transit Authority president speaks out: “my drivers are furious. They are beyond scared, they are upset they are sitting ducks in that seat.” pic.twitter.com/vATBYtnDnr

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) December 7, 2021

Are you sure that security guards (armed or unarmed) want to be involved in this? I don’t think so. If we were talking one on one situations here, they probably would – depending on the situation, but we aren’t talking about one on ones. We’re talking about scores of people converging on these stores and smashing and grabbing what they can.

And then there are the stores that aren’t part of chains that are getting broken into by these looters. What if they can’t afford an around-the-clock security presence? Due to heavy mandates placed during the Pandemic by Lightfoot, dictatorial Democrats and others have caused severe damage to many small business’ bottom lines. There is little chance that they will be able put in security cameras and surveillance systems like those seen in big-name shops.

Maybe it’s just me, but I think a better approach from Lightfoot would be to not shame business owners here. Encouraging them to get cameras and security guards is one thing, but stating you are “disappointed” is unhelpful and will only spark further resentment from business owners who don’t appreciate being blamed for the crimes committed in their stores.

Lightfoot needs to work more closely with law enforcement officers and prosecutors in order to catch these perps and not release them immediately. That could, often, lead to them striking back again. That would be a big help – that and maybe not trying to force vaccine mandates on police officers and denigrating their service in an effort to score cool points with the Woke Mafia.

All of this would require Lightfoot to act responsibly for the citizens of her city and not just stupidly. History has proven that Lightfoot is incapable of acting responsibly. As if at all.

Flashback: Lori Lightfoot’s Racist Interview Policy Backfires in the Most Hilarious and Deserving Way Possible