In an op-ed in the Washington Post Chicago community activist Jasson Perez takes Mayor Lori Lightfoot to task for her dodging accountability in her remarks about the shooting of Adam Toledo:
Last week, shortly before the public release of body-cam footage showing the police shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) said at a news conference: “Simply put, we failed Adam.â€
No, “we†didn’t.
[…]
Some of us work to keep youths alive and give them a better chance at life. This is the we who have protested, held vigils and demanded that Lightfoot do better by passing policies our city needs. People elected Lightfoot to make real change. When she and other politicians point to a collective failure in the wake of a wrongful death, it minimizes their responsibility for the tragic circumstances and broader pain. It also obscures actions she and other mayors have taken against policies or initiatives Black and brown communities have sought to keep their neighborhoods and cities safe — and even thrive.
The factors that led to a police officer shooting a 13-year-old are complicated, but the path to a better future is not. Working-class Black and brown communities in Chicago have been fighting for them for years. We need a mayor who has the political courage and will to make necessary change happen.
To place those remarks in some context Lori Lightfoot was elected mayor, running for office for the first time against experienced pol Toni Preckwinkle based on just two campaign promises:
- Reform the Chicago Police
- Don’t raise property taxes
She hasn’t followed through on either of those.
Maybe she’s just not very smart. Maybe the job’s too much for her.
What hell can you do if that’s the case and nobody can say it because she’s, she’s, you know.
I’m not gonna say it.
As unsatisfied with the leadership and management skills of Chicago mayors; consider Seattle.
The current mayor (Jenny Durkan) will not run for reelection after (a) letting the chaos of CHAZ occur (b) somehow alienating her own handpicked African American women police chief to the point the chief resigned
The mayor before her (Ed Murray) resigned in scandal after credible allegations of child sexual abuse surfaced.
The mayor before Murray (Michael McGinn) lost reelection over being too ideological — including a desire to rip up one of the 2 main highways going through downtown with no replacement except bike lanes.
The mayor before McGinn (Greg Nickels) lost reelection over management incompetency — the city was paralyzed for a month after a snowstorm.
Seattle will be on its 5th mayor in 12 years come January; in a city that is 90% Democrat and should be a sinecure to whoever actually is in office.