By Illinois Review
Chicago, the host city for the Democratic National Convention in August, was a warzone over the July 4th holiday weekend as gang violence terrorized residents in the Democratic-controlled city as 100 people were shot, 17 fatally – turning scenes of celebrations into scenes of chaos, death and carnage.
Illinois has one of the strictest gun laws in the country – but that did little to help tourists and residents in the city of Chicago this past weekend, as gang violence escalated – creating a warzone-type atmosphere as gun shots could be heard from all over the city during the holiday weekend.
In 2023, it was reported that 73 were shot, 11 fatally – a far cry from this year, which represented a 27 percent increase in violence over the July 4th holiday weekend as city officials and Democratic leaders finalize plans and prepare to welcome tens of thousands of guests for the Democratic National Convention in August. And while local Democratic leaders, including Gov. JB Pritzker – who serves as President Joe Biden’s media surrogate and co-chairman of the re-election campaign, brushes off the violence plaguing the city in national media interviews, the reality is much starker.
Last year, over 225,000 high priority 911 calls went unanswered because of a police officer shortage – leaving residents and visitors in grave danger. It’s been reported by several local news outlets and law enforcement experts that Chicago is short nearly 2,000 police officers, creating a nightmare scenario for officials who are trying to convince the country that Chicago is safe enough to host the country’s top Democratic leaders including the ailing and aging president of the United States.
Over the weekend, calls for Biden to step aside and allow Vice President Kamala Harris to take over have increased as the cognitively disabled president has failed to convince donors and officials within his own party that he is capable of handling the job for another four years after the disastrous debate on June 29th exposed his true health condition. Polls show Biden trailing former President Donald Trump by more than six points as more than 75 percent of Americans now believe that Biden is too old to run for re-election. Biden is also losing to Trump in key swing state races, and Democratic officials are now concerned that he could drag down the entire ticket as vulnerable Democrats begin to distance themselves from the embattled president.
On Friday, U.S Rep. Mike Quigley, a member of Illinois’ Democratic Congressional Caucus and a close friend and ally of Gov. Pritzker, called on Biden to step aside, saying, “Four years ago Joe Biden did our country and our democracy a great service by beating Donald Trump. I’m not sure he can do it again this time.” Quigley is also confident that even more Democrats will echo his words in the coming days.
Congress returns on Monday after taking a break for the holiday, and reports coming out of the nation’s capitol indicate that Biden is in for a rough week as even more Democratic members of Congress are expected to demand that he end his re-election campaign and support Harris as the new nominee.
Many political leaders are giving Biden until Friday to make a formal decision about his future. And if he chooses to stay, expect the decision to throw the party into total chaos.
