One of the characteristic traits of many leftists is that they never practice what they preach. They want to tell everyone else how to live their lives, but they’ll never apply the same principles to themselves that they want to apply to others. We’ve seen that over and over again, from gun control proponents arrested for firearms trafficking, social justice-supporting liberals trying to keep homeless shelters out of their neighborhoods, or environmentalist celebrities being transported everywhere by large gas-guzzling SUVs. But the ultimate in hypocrisy is the behavior of Lori Lightfoot, the current mayor of Chicago.
Chicago’s problems with crime are longstanding and well-known. Hardly a weekend goes by without hearing about dozens of shootings in the city, and multiple killings. And recently the city has undergone several bouts of looting, including in high-end shopping districts.
Chicagoans of all stripes are up in arms about what they see as a lack of police presence, as the city seems to want to hamstring the police department. Rather than allow police to take on protesters, rioters, and looters, the city has pulled back, allowing them to run amok. Just look at the police department’s after-action report on what rioters did to the city’s Columbus statue to see what police had to deal with.
Of course, there’s one area of the city that is off-limits to protesters: the block on which the mayor lives. Mayor Lightfoot isn’t content just to have 24/7 police protection for her person and her house. She wants her entire block to be protester-free, and anyone challenged by police and failing to leave will be arrested.
This attitude of “good for me, but not for thee” is understandably riling many Chicagoans. City aldermen who represent low-income residents are upset at their constituents having to put up with increased crime due to a diminished police presence. City residents in high-income areas are upset at seeing their stomping grounds being overrun by looters and criminals. And business owners are fed up with having to defend themselves against hordes of criminals week after week. If things don’t change soon, downtown Chicago could end up looking like a ghost town if businesses decide to pull up their stakes and leave the city to the criminals.
Lightfoot’s attitude and her inability to take criticism will probably result in her being a one-term mayor. Even the city’s liberal elites are incensed at her hypocrisy. But while they continue to fight among themselves, the city of Chicago will continue to descend into barbarity. Hopefully those with the means to leave that city will move to greener pastures and states that actually care about their citizens.
This article was originally posted on Red Tea News.
