The people of the Windy City, long plagued by a crisis of criminality, are making their voices heard this week…and breaking four decades of tradition while they’re at it.
Chicago has been engulfed in violence for decades now, as the city continues to find it difficult to claw its way out of the quagmire of their 1982 handgun ban – a legal maneuver that essentially neutered the law-abiding public’s ability to defend themselves against armed individuals who didn’t have any desire to act lawfully regardless of any handgun ban.
Now, even years after the ban was rescinded, Chicago suffers from an epidemic of violence so profound that four decades of political tradition have been upended.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her bid for re-election Tuesday, ending her historic run as the city’s first Black woman and first openly gay person to serve in the position.
Lightfoot, a Democrat, failed to get enough votes in the nine-person race to move on to an April 4 runoff election, according to projections by The Associated Press.
Paul Vallas, a former CEO of Chicago schools, will face Brandon Johnson, a Cook County commissioner endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union.
The city’s violent character was likely a factor.
Lightfoot conceded defeat Tuesday night at her party in downtown Chicago, saying, “Obviously we didn’t win the election today, but I stand here with my head held high.”
Lightfoot has been dogged by persistent crime, which has been a top concern among Chicagoans. Crime spiked during her term, though she has repeatedly touted that it dropped year-over-year in 2022.
Lightfoot’s ineffectual reign in Chiraq has been the focus of a great deal of national criticism, and her historically-rare ouster is proof positive that the citizens of the Windy City have had enough.
