Chicago’s top cop Eddie Johnson blames gangs, not guns, for the horrific violence in the Windy City this year. On Monday afternoon, after a particularly bloody Christmas weekend that saw 12 people killed and 51 wounded, Chicago’s PD chief blamed gangs for the carnage. He told WLS-TV, “These gun offenders have repeatedly shown us that they’re not going to play by society’s rules.”
In Rahm’s paradise, it takes big brass cajones to blame violent criminal predators instead of guns. Chief Johnson’s politically dangerous comments come as no surprise to clear-thinking, rational people. However, clear-thinking and logical don’t describe public positions of the Chicago Democrat machine.
ABC7 Chicago reported on Eddie Johnson’s comments:
At a press conference Monday afternoon, the Chicago Police Superintendent called the violence “unacceptable” and said 90 percent of those killed have gang ties, criminal histories or were on the department’s strategic subject list.
Police said most of the people shot, not all, were targeted.
“They were targeted knowing fully well that individuals would be at homes of family and friends celebrating the holiday,” Johnson said.
He went on to call “for tougher penalties for repeat gun offenders.”
Chicago politicians don’t want tougher penalties for repeat gun offenders
As a guy who has spent time lobbying in the Illinois General Assembly, I can tell you first-hand that Chicagoland Democrats don’t want enhanced penalties for repeat gun offenders. These Democrats see sentencing enhancements as merely putting more “young black men” into prison.
Chicago’s Democrat State’s Attorney’s office does not even aggressively prosecute armed bad guys and gals using existing laws.
Examples:
- Police nabbed three young males red-handed after a drive-by shooting. Two people gained fresh, unwanted piercings. Cops caught them after a short pursuit. Five-oh recover the three guns used in the crime. The State’s Attorney charges them with a class 4 felony – punishable by a mere one to three years in prison upon conviction.
- A woman with a felony past unlawfully carries and unlawfully possessed handgun into a bar without a carry license. She becomes intoxicated, comes out, and pops off rounds at someone who has angered her. A video of her attempted murder of others made its way to YouTube. Police catch up to her, arrest her, and the SA’s office charges her with a misdemeanor.
Other times, the SA’s office drops charges entirely:
Charges dropped against man accused of attacking off-duty cop in Wrigleyville
(CWB) – Charges have been dropped against a man accused of battering an off-duty police officer who intervened in a Wrigleyville street disturbance on June 22. The officer was rendered unconscious in the attack.
One count of felony aggravated battery to a police officer against 29-year-old Tremaine Wilson was tossed out with a finding of no probable cause by Cook County Judge Marvin Luckman. The state then dropped a lesser charge of reckless conduct, according to court records.
Then the judges don’t follow bail recommendations. Instead, they turn out bad guys who should remain jailed.
Cook Count’y judges not following bail recommendations
(Sun-Times) – Cook County judges routinely make bail decisions for crime suspects contrary to what the judges’ new risk-assessment system calls for, according to a review of more than 1,500 cases this year obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.
A review by the Cook County sheriff’s office showed judges’ bail decisions differed from the guidelines about 85 percent of the time. The review tracked cases in 30 weekday sessions — between Feb. 10 and March 29 — in Central Bond Court at the main Leighton Criminal Courthouse at 26th and California.
Johnson’s courage
Traditionally, Chicago Democrats like Mayors Richard Daley and Rahm Emanuel have always pointed the finger of blame at guns instead of the criminals who use them. Daley and Emanuel have incessantly howled for more gun restrictions, not just for residents of their city, but all of Illinois’ residents.
They mayors’ appointed police chiefs have pretty much, until now, toed the party line. Not Eddie Johnson though. Eddie Johnson calls a spade a spade. He blames bad guys with evil in their hearts. He courageously blames gangs for the violence plaguing his city. Johnson’s bold statements surely put his job at risk from an angry Mayor Emanuel.
Eddie Johnson has said some dumb things. His girlfriend got her promotion to lieutenant under some very suspicious circumstances. However, we must give him his props here, though. He didn’t take the easy way out.
We hope Eddie Johnson has a golden parachute lined up. Why? Because Rahm Emanuel occupies the driver’s seat of a big city bus. Eddie Johnson may find himself thrown under the bus sooner rather than later if he keeps speaking the truth.
The first step is admiting you have a problem.
Correctly blaming gangs and their members is a first step. The next is to advocate armed self defense by honest citizens as his counterpart in Detroit has done.
I’m all for armed self
Defense. The thing is , charging attempted
Murderers with misdemeanors is at least as big a part of the problem as gun control. I’m usually against mandatory minimums. But good god, charging a repeated felon who shoots at people with a misdemeanor is a mistake.
The last guy, McCarthy, taught his officers to shoot CCL holders so anything is an improvement.
Watching Diehard right now (the first one) and man does that cop in the TTAG pic look just like the one in the movie.
Oh Eddie is in WAY over his head. I guarantee he’ll be gone soon. Meanwhile The Tiny Dancer© will probably win reelection(’cause Chicagoans are STUPID). Sad worthless(except for the Cubs) city…
Crook County got a new State’s Attorney December 1st. I’ll give her a fair chance to do her job, but I’m not holding my breath.
Kim Fox will be infinitely WORSE than Alvarez. She’s already planned on not jailing “our young mens(sic). Former Cabrini Green gal who hates the po-leece…
I was thinking “anybody who doesn’t do a Lisa The Mad Hen impersonation would be a good change” and then you had to spoil it for me.
Considering they’re talking about not even prosecuting shoplifting these days, I don’t see this happening any time soon. That said he will be a human sacrifice. The same way Gary was. Likely the same way the next fool who comes after him will be.
Will it save Tiny Dancer? Time till tell.
“These gun offenders have repeatedly shown us that they’re not going to play by society’s rules,”
It doesn’t really sound like Chief Johnson is opposed to gun control. It’s just more of the same old-same old. He blames gangs? Who knew?
Thanks for the insight, Chief. You’re a credit to the bureaucracy. Someone give him another Golden Paper Clip Award!
It’s really hard to believe that in Chicago you can commit all sorts of crimes including assault with deadly weapons and geta slap on the wrist. In just about every other jurisdiction you would be held without bail and looking at a long stretch. But other big cities seem to have the same problem as people with long arrest records are walking around causing mayhem.
The only way the circle is broken is with lead poisoning and it’s a shame that has to happen. Someone either defends themselves or extracts revenge and another problem emerges. The Cops aren’t inclined to take out the trash any more so they use tasers or what not to keep them alive so they can be out on the street again.
But the problem is us and the guns in our hands. It’s our fault bad actors are on the streets to break in and steal our guns to commit crimes they won’t be held accountable for.
Here’s hoping Jeff Sessions can get tough with these lawless cities and maybe turn things around. I’m not very hopeful that will happen.
It would be wise for Mr. Johnson to update his resume.
Anybody else thinking that if I was arrested in the County of Crooks for carrying concealed on a Michigan CHL that I’d be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, or at least prosecuted harder than the average attempted murderer?
Well, when criminal enterprises are your main source of money and votes, criminal violence is just a cost of doing business.
You can determine who is inside the cabal by noting who behaves this way.
Chicagoans must like things this way. They’ve been voting for it for 100+ years…
Voters getting what they want: nonsense in criminal justice.
“Stop these criminals!”
(two minutes later)
“Stop oppressing my son! He’s a good boy!”