After their mayor recently referred to concerns about the decline of their city as “noise,” residents of Chicago have begun taking their safety into their own hands as crime continues to spike as much as 86 percent in some areas.

In the northern Chicago suburbs of Lincoln Park, Bucktown and Lakeview, wealthier residents have grown tired of the out-of-control crime and the inaction from city officials over their concerns regarding the danger. As such, the Wall Street Journal reported, Chicagoans have sought the aid of off-duty police officers and private security firms to patrol their streets.

According to representatives, patrols are being contracted out from private security companies like P4 Security Solutions LLC and United Security Inc. to address the overall city-wide spike in crime of around 35 percent compared to this time last year.

“It’s a crime,” United Security Inc. director of sales and marketing Sean Meehan told the Journal. “Straight up crime and the people in those areas not feeling safe.”

Utilizing the Chicago Police Department’s data, P4 security found Bucktown had experienced a 30 percent increase in crime compared to the same period in 2021, and nearby neighborhoods had seen 47 and 86 percent jumps in the same timespan.

‘How can you POSSIBLY consider re-election?’ Lori Lightfoot does NOT appreciate reporter’s beatdown https://t.co/FWXIdvfMND pic.twitter.com/DSexXzbSlC

— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) April 22, 2022

Reporter William J. Kelly recently asked Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) to address these issues stating, “Across the street, we had a police officer on duty, the victim of a hit and run, we have Michigan Avenue, the Magnificent Mile, now referred to as the mile of fear and the Water Tower Place has thrown the keys back to the lender, they say they don’t want to be in Chicago anymore.”

He then asked, “Real Chicagoans are asking me, how can you possibly even consider running for reelection for mayor of the city of Chicago after all the harm you’ve caused?”

The mayor was dismissive and flatly responded, “Well I disagree with you fundamentally and I don’t think I need to address and dignify your comments one second further… question.”

Lightfoot later went on to argue her case adding, “I will challenge you to find another mayor who has had to address the kinds of challenges that I have in the last three years. I don’t think you’re gonna find it because it’s an unprecedented set of challenges: A pandemic, historic economic meltdown, civic unrest, spiking violence … all happening within about a six-month period.”

Her political rhetoric is likely little comfort to the likes of Josh Lane, a resident of Bucktown, who told the Journal how he had been attacked last summer while walking his dog by two men brandishing a fake gun. After the incident, his neighborhood established an association to organize patrols.

“It’s a little like a dystopian sci-fi movie when you see the flashing green lights go by,” Lane said of the security forces in his neighborhood. Taxpayers in Lincoln Park have shelled out as much as $175,000 collectively to fund a year’s worth of private security on top of what they’ve already paid into the city.

Meanwhile, in another neighborhood where homes typically sell for anywhere from $550,000 to $750,000, elderly couple Bob and Kathryn Tataryn were assaulted in February as they walked home from the subway. Mr. Tataryn suffered a broken nose and his wife required two surgeries after the attack left her with a broken jaw and broken wrists.

As burglary, motor vehicle theft, and other thefts have increased 36, 41, and 66 percent respectively, with the last figure representing an increase from 2,801 incidents to 4,655, Lightfoot continues to argue against the facts stating, “Ladies and gentlemen, there’s a narrative out there that our city is headed in the wrong direction. That noise is completely belied by these objective data points, which show a very robust economy that is creating jobs and opportunity.”

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Kevin Haggerty

Staff Writer

Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.

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