By Mark Weyermuller -
Last Saturday, several hundred people gathered in support of police at Grant Park in Chicago. It was called the “Back the Blue” Rally. It was held at the same site where earlier in the week the park's Christopher Columbus statue was removed by order of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
A few days earlier than the removal, there was a violent protest at the statue including arrests and many Chicago Police officers injured. Leftist protesters attempted to pull the statue over as they have done at many locations around the country.
There were a number of speakers at the rally, including radio hosts Erich “Mancow” Muller and Amy Jacobson. Other speakers included Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara and Illinois U.S. Senate Candidate and former Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran. Chicago activist Frank Coconate has been very vocal on the statue issues representing many local Italian Americans.
There was a small group of counter protesters at the rally but were kept away by Chicago Police. There appeared to be no arrests with counter protesters who appeared very belligerent and possibly violent. CPD was very restrained and professional.
Unrest continues in Chicago with protests, looting, and riots. The shootings and homicides are growing. There are many questions about Mayor Lori Lightfoot with an informal “stand down order” against arrests and interventions by police has resulted in uptick of crime.
CTA and retail thief continue to grow with few media outlets reporting on this. A good site to follow is CWBChicago.com which reports on crime in Chicago. There are also issues with Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx who is accused of not prosecuting crimes and releasing offenders with little to no bond.
Many believe much of the unrest will continue until the elections now 98 days away. There was large support of President Trump at the Back the Blue Rally on Saturday. There are more of these rallies scheduled throughout the Chicago area.
COVID-19 continues to be an issue in Illinois and people push to reopen 100% including schools. Reported positive cases grow as testing has increased exponentially. Only one death was reported yesterday in Illinois. There appears to be many issues of the reporting of cases nationwide.
Mark Weyermuller is a small business person, retired real estate professional, and conservative activist in Chicago. He is a citizen journalist, frequent guest on talk radio, and regular contributor to Illinois Review.
