Chicago Aldermen Confront Mayor Over Response to Rioting
Chicago aldermen grilled Mayor Lori Lightfoot on her response to riots rocking the city nearly a week after the death of George Floyd while in the custody of police, according to a recently-obtained recording of a conference call detailing the angst and sorrow of officials desperate to keep their city from unraveling.
“What are we going to have left in our community?” alderman Michelle Harris (8th Ward) asked rhetorically, according to a tape obtained by WTTW News of a conference call among Chicagos 50 aldermen and the mayor.
“Nothing,” she continued.“I feel like I am at ground zero—my major business district is shattered.”
In the audio recording of the call, which took place on May 31 but was only recently published, some aldermen are heard breaking down while others voiced outrage and demanded action from Lightfoot, who described rioters as “[expletive] lawless.”
“I dont know about you, but I havent seen [expletive] like this before, not in Chicago,” the mayor said, adding that the unrest, which included widespread vandalism and smash-and-grab theft, was “all over the city.”
According to CBS Chicago, on the day of the call, there was widespread damage to businesses and property, as well as 699 arrests, 132 officers injured, 48 shootings, and 17 homicides.
Lightfoot defended her response to the rioting, however, saying, “Weve been working our [expletive] off.”
Alderman Susan Sadlowski-Garza could be heard breaking down in tears as she spoke of how her ward had descended into chaos.
“They are shooting at the police,” she said of the rioters and described a scene where some 40 people broke into a marijuana dispensary, adding, “Im scared.”
Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th Ward) complained his South Side ward had become “a virtual war zone” where gang members were walking around with AK-47s and threatening to shoot black people.
Emma Mitts (37th Ward) said her West Side ward was like “the wild, wild west.”
Lopez demanded Lightfoot put in place a plan to stabilize Chicago neighborhoods for five days, before the discussion between the two descended into a shouting match and exchange of insults.
The Chicago City Councils Black Caucus criticized Lightfoots decisionRead More From Source
