CHICAGO | Politics and Current Events

[skysoar]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

Crime is up over 40% in Chicago from last year.

Are you serious, or just being cynical. Some of us come on the forum to learn accurate information, so we are not spreading misinformation. So when you say 40% increase in crime are you speaking car jackings, robberies, shootings, murders or what, crime encompasses many different categories.

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

Crime is up over 40% in Chicago from last year.

Source?

[jboy560]

CPD posts crime stats and the data is publicly available. Overall crime is 42% higher YTD compared to 2022. Every crime category except homicide is up, some quite significantly.

https://home.chicagopolice.org/wp-co...23-Week-22.pdf

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by jboy560

CPD posts crime stats and the data is publicly available. Overall crime is 42% higher YTD compared to 2022. Every crime category except homicide is up, some quite significantly.

https://home.chicagopolice.org/wp-co...23-Week-22.pdf

Yep. A lot of heads buried in the sand here.

[OrdoSeclorum]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

Yep. A lot of heads buried in the sand here.

From 2019, Murder and Robbery are both up 25%. Sexual assault is no change. Battery is down 5%. Burglary is down 18%. Theft is up 46% and Car Theft is up over 200%.

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by jboy560

CPD posts crime stats and the data is publicly available. Overall crime is 42% higher YTD compared to 2022. Every crime category except homicide is up, some quite significantly.

https://home.chicagopolice.org/wp-co...23-Week-22.pdf

Thanks for sharing the data!

[UPChicago]

_

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

Yep. A lot of heads buried in the sand here.

Mostly up except for crimes like murder and shootings. However, overall trend long term is still down. This all matters, but also context matters too. Where were you in 2016 and 2017 when things spiked too? It also matters where you are even talking about in the city and what type of crime. Some places are up vs. 2019 while some are nearly unchanged or even down. Saying "crime is up" or "crime is down" is merely intellectually lazy and naive when you aren't saying where and what types of crime. If you actually bother to look into the data per neighborhood/area of the city it's extremely nuanced. Robbery may be up city wide but your neighborhood and the few around it may have almost no change from even 2019 or 2018 or might even be lower. While maybe a neighborhood 7 miles away is up a lot.

example - robberies in Lincoln Square by year thru 5/24:

2023: 11
2022: 4
2021: 17
2020: 8
2019: 10
2018: 20
2017: 28
2016: 16
2015: 9
2014: 10
2013: 18
2012: 19
2011: 10
2010: 19
2009: 25
2008: 23
2007: 21
2006: 20
2005: 23
2004: 39
2003: 34
2002: 7

Last year thru 5/24 was literally the lowest year of robbery in Lincoln Square since at least 2002 and so far this year is lower than the majority of years before that with the exception of 6 years (half of those only had 1 fewer each).

No I'm not saying a spike is good at all, but if we are going to talk about burying ones head in the sand, then I'm sorry. It seems like people in Chicago and beyond have collective amnesia to the fact that various crimes in various parts of the city are no worse than even years like 2018, 2017, 2016, etc. We aren't even talking about 20 years ago. We're talking about just a year or 2 before the pandemic.

Source: https://data.cityofchicago.org/Publi...ijzp-q8t2/data

[Chicago Shawn]

Originally Posted by UPChicago

This doesn’t seem to be happening, maybe your source got it wrong

Crains reported last month that the Johnson transition team informed many department heads that they would not be retained, but have now appeared to walk that back and are largely retaining them, even if it is temporary for the interim. I presume what I was told likely came out of that. I’m still waiting to see a formal announcement of whether Maurice is staying or not. What I was told was definitely no, but perhaps such an interim agreement for him to stay on is in place for the moment.

[moorhosj1]

I found the Governor's thoughts on our new Mayor to be encouraging:

I think before he got elected, that’s what many people feared. I think what we’ve seen though, is he’s picking good staff. He’s listening and maybe changing a little bit, the way he views how we build up the economy in Chicago, what we need to do to build the future of Chicago. And public safety. I think he’s listening. And I’m very hopeful because he’s doing all of that. Look, I think all of us before we come into office, you run a tough campaign, you pick some lanes that you’re running down so that you can get elected. And then you get an office, and you still believe in those things, but you’re a little bit shaped by the circumstances that you’re walking into. And certainly Chicago has a bunch of challenges, situations that a new mayor needs to handle.

[moorhosj1]

Originally Posted by Ryanhesler

Remember during the Rahm years when Chicago was breaking tourism records yearly? CTA wasn't a complete dumpster fire and was getting expanded and lots of attention to it? Remember when corporations were moving here left and right? Under Rahm, we had the Riverwalk, 606, and all these megadevelopments start construction. Nothing happened under Lightfoot. I don't see anything happening under Johnson either. Invest south/west is the Lightfoot's biggest accomplishment and that whole thing was planned under the Rahm administration.

This view neglects any type of context. Rahm was Mayor during an absolute boom time for urban centers and building in general (near 0% interest rates for basically his whole tenure). He passed the largest tax increase in city history. Even then, the murder numbers INCREASED from 519 his first full year to 591 in his last full year. He had no plan to fix the problem either, nobody has in my lifetime. Some of the things you mention are actually happening, the CTA is being expanded, the Englewood Trail is moving forward, megadevelopments have started construction, etc.

Since then, we had COVID, which you know devastated many cities. Places like Portland and San Francisco are in decline. We are doing better than many, but it's obviously a different time. Interest rates are 5%.

Originally Posted by Ryanhesler

Of course Pritzker is going to support Johnson. He's the same guy who concocted the "Safe-T Act". I actually think Pritzker has been a great governer, but progressives absolutely suck when it comes to dealing with crime/justice.

He never really supported Lightfoot, so it's not a given. But his support isn't what's interesting. He explicitly calls out areas the BJ has learned and changed views from his campaign. These are areas people seemed very concerned about, so I think it says something that Pritzker, a person who has actually worked with Brandon Johnson, acknowledges he has pivoted some ideas.

Those areas are named as

• How we build up the economy in Chicago
• What we need to do to build the future of Chicago
• Public safety

[twister244]

Yeah, if you think it's bad here..... Got check in on SF.

That's not to defend anything going on in our city, but you need to separate out what's macro versus legacy inertia versus a reflection of current politicians and policies locally.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Ryanhesler

I see nothing but stagnation in this city meanwhile this guy's in office, same as Lightfoot.

I'm not a fan of Lightfoot nor did I vote for Johnson, but the number of employed residents of the City of Chicago in April 2023 was the 2nd most of any month since January 1990. That's as far back as the data goes, and the #1 spot (in late spring/summer of 2000) was less than 2000 people above April 2023. There's 49,359 more employed residents of Chicago in April 2023 than there were in April 2016, and 102,574 more than April 2013. Chicago actually has a higher gain of employed residents April 2023 vs. April 2016 than Los Angeles does. Chicago has a higher employed population April 2023 vs. April 2019, something that NYC and LA cannot claim.

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics
https://www.bls.gov/lau/

Remember during the Rahm years when Chicago was breaking tourism records yearly?

LOL almost all of Lori Lightfoot's entire reign was during a pandemic. In 2022, the city saw just under 49 million tourists. That is more than a decade ago. I'm more curious to see what happens this year as last year had a huge increase from 2021. While it sucks it's down compared to the height, having some context really matters here and that number was still higher than the earlier years when Rahm was mayor. People mostly stopped traveling for like 1.5 to 2+ years. They finally started traveling again last summer, and I'll tell you that downtown this year already seems incredibly more active with tourists than last year (I work downtown 3 days a week).

Remember when corporations were moving here left and right?

I don't know how to tell you this, but there is still a shit load of corporate relocation and expansion in Chicago. With the exception of Kellogg relocating from Michigan, a lot aren't of the Fortune 500 size but there's still a lot opening up offices in Chicago or even relocating entirely.



I didn't vote for Johnson nor Lightfoot, but it's entirely ignorant to actually sit here and talk about this stuff while simultaneously missing the entire thing about how we're at nearly peak employment numbers for residents of the city in the last 32+ years.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by moorhosj1

I found the Governor's thoughts on our new Mayor to be encouraging:

Some of this echoes at least what I'd hoped for. Everyone has grand ideas when they're running for office. Or sometimes when they're going to get into a position of power in a corporation and have some grand ideas about what to do/change. Then they get into that position, get educated on the realities and most people learn what they should be actually spending their time on vs. complete wastes of time within certain time.

Candidates say a lot of crazy shit to get elected. I don't take anyone's total word for it anymore. It's kind of weird how people get pissed when some candidate didn't do most of what they said they would during a campaign. Usually when they're in campaign mode, especially if they aren't even in government office already they don't have a great idea of the realities. They go full on idealistic mode and then it comes crashing down when they take power.

[Randomguy34]

Lol questions on Burnett's campaign funds continue to increase now that the State Board of Elections is getting involved. If he doesn't have a good alibi, he might want to start worrying about if he'll get charged and potentially lose his seat.


‘Where are the funds?’ state official asks after Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. says ‘catastrophic flood’ destroyed records on missing campaign money
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/6/...illiam-cadigan

[sentinel]

Illinois state (good) news:

Gov. Pritzker announces the State’s ‘Rainy Day’ Fund will make history, exceeding $2 billion

https://www.wandtv.com/news/gov-prit...a636b0819.html

Jun 29, 2023 Updated Jun 29, 2023

"SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) – As of June 30, the final deposit for the Governor’s and General Assembly’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget will be made into the Budget Stabilization Fund.

In addition, the State of Illinois’ Fiscal Year 2024 budget will deposit an additional $138 million, boosting the fund to over $2 billion, its highest balance in state history.

According to Governor' Office the Budget Stabilization Fund held less than $60,000 when Pritzker took office.

“Just six years ago our state had nearly nothing in our rainy-day fund, $17 billion in unpaid bills, and had suffered 8 credit downgrades,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Today, we have no bill backlog, a $2 billion rainy-day fund, and eight credit upgrades. Illinois is finally finding its fiscal footing, and with an economy that has now reached over a $1 trillion in GDP, we are among the top states for workforce and business....”

For those that have blustered over the past four years that they don't think Priztker is a good governor, the proof is right there, go pound sand until it turns to glass, or move.

Pritzker is millions of lightyears ahead of the ghoul that was Rauner, and even far beyond previous Democratic shitheels. Hope he stays in office for many more years

[twister244]

Originally Posted by sentinel

Illinois state (good) news:

Gov. Pritzker announces the State’s ‘Rainy Day’ Fund will make history, exceeding $2 billion

https://www.wandtv.com/news/gov-prit...a636b0819.html

Jun 29, 2023 Updated Jun 29, 2023

"SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) – As of June 30, the final deposit for the Governor’s and General Assembly’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget will be made into the Budget Stabilization Fund.

In addition, the State of Illinois’ Fiscal Year 2024 budget will deposit an additional $138 million, boosting the fund to over $2 billion, its highest balance in state history.

According to Governor' Office the Budget Stabilization Fund held less than $60,000 when Pritzker took office.

“Just six years ago our state had nearly nothing in our rainy-day fund, $17 billion in unpaid bills, and had suffered 8 credit downgrades,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Today, we have no bill backlog, a $2 billion rainy-day fund, and eight credit upgrades. Illinois is finally finding its fiscal footing, and with an economy that has now reached over a $1 trillion in GDP, we are among the top states for workforce and business....”

For those that have blustered over the past four years that they don't think Priztker is a good governor, the proof is right there, go pound sand until it turns to glass, or move.

Pritzker is millions of lightyears ahead of the ghoul that was Rauner, and even far beyond previous Democratic shitheels. Hope he stays in office for many more years

Agreed - I was a bit critical of him on the Covid front, but that was reflective of overall approaches and not him individually. Overall, he has governed pretty solidly without straying too far in any direction.

[Steely Dan]

Yes, JB has been a blessing to Illinois governance.

We haven't had a governor like him in a long while.

[Kngkyle]

I only wish Pritzker could simultaneously be Mayor of Chicago. Although fortunately it seems Johnson has (so far) been mostly following Pritzker's advice.

[tjp]

How much of JBs success is due to all the COVID funds the state got from the federal government though?