Chicago Republican answers attacks from mayor, governor

(The Center Square) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has joined Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson in blaming Republicans for violent crime in the city. A Chicago Republican says the issue is the Democrats’ “bad policies.”

Pritzker said there is more violence in Chicago because Republicans defunded community violence interruption programs.

“You end up with, and the study from Northwestern shows it about Illinois, you end up with more violent crime,” Pritzker said. “It’s Republicans that have caused this problem.”

The governor referred to a Northwestern University study published last year that found that individuals who completed the full Chicago Real Economic Destiny Program were 73% less likely to have an arrest for a violent crime in the two years following enrollment than those who did not participate.

The Northwestern researchers also found that the rate of firearms victimization remained statistically unchanged during the study period.

Pritzker announced $100 million in private funding from civic groups in an attempt to prevent more violence. The state budget includes $180 million in taxpayer funds for violence intervention and youth summer jobs programs.

On several occasions, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson blamed Republicans for the issues around crime for what he said was decades of community disinvestment.

South Side GOP Chairman Devin Jones is the 18th Ward Republican Committeeman. He said the criticism was strange in a city which has no Republican elected officials at any level.

“The issue is the bad policies of the city of Chicago, of Cook County and the state of Illinois,” Jones said.

The most recent criticism of Republicans by Pritzker and Johnson came after more than 100 people were shot in Chicago from July 4 through July 8.

Jones said the GOP is not to blame for violent crime in Chicago.

“So this is a Brandon Johnson and his progressive allies issue and not an issue of Republicans or some other boogeyman party. This is their problem. It is his [Johnson’s] fault and four of his predecessors. This all rests with them,” Jones said.