Chicago alderman rips Lightfoot after 'completely hypocritical' new demand for federal crime help
CHICAGO - A Democratic Chicago alderman sounded off Thursday after the Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot appeared to reverse her previous refusal to seek or accept federal assistance in quashing gun violence by calling for a "united front" between the city and Washington, D.C.
Raymond Lopez, who has previously sparred with Lightfoot on the topic of surging crime and gun violence in the Windy City, told "The Story" that while he does not like former President Trump, he views Lightfoot as playing politics with Chicagoans as she suddenly wants help from President Joe Biden.
"It's completely hypocritical from this mayor that didn't want help from President Trump—whom I was not a fan of—but now needs help from Joe Biden," he told Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum. "Clearly the politics of it was more important than saving peoples' lives."
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Lopez, one of 50 members of a city council that lacks a single Republican alderman, added that Chicago is on pace to have 800 murders by the end of 2021.
WATCH: Ald. Ray Lopez sounds off on crime spike in Chicago
"The violence is not restricted to certain neighborhoods anymore. The only thing that is equitable about what the mayor's policies have been was to put the entire city under siege, and to spread fear and violence in every neighborhood. So much so that it's common place and doesn't raise an eye nationally," he said.
In July 2020, Lightfoot rejected an offer from Trump to send federal agents to her city to assist the Chicago law enforcement in stopping the rising crime wave. Instead, Lightfoot called on the public for help, in a news conference following a shooting outside a funeral home that left 15 people injured.
During the period of unrest last summer stemming from protests over the death of George Floyd, Lightfoot previously blasted Lopez on a conference call, calling the alderman "full of s---."
WATCH: Ald. Ray Lopez rips Lightfoot after about-face on federal help for gun crime
The audio of call, which was obtained by WTTW-TV, shows Lopez telling Lightfoot that many Chicago neighborhoods were destroyed from the unrest.
"Half our neighborhoods are already obliterated... we have to come up with a better plan because my fear is once they are done looting and rioting and whatever is going to happen tonight, God help us, what happens when they start going after residents?" Lopez said. "You got them all pumped today," Lopez told the mayor. "They're not going to go to bed at 8:00, I have got gang bangers with AK-47s walking around right now waiting to settle some scores."
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Lightfoot responded by dismissing Lopez's claims.
"I think you're 100 percent full of s---, is what I think," Lightfoot said. "If you think we were not ready and we stood by and let the neighborhood go up, there is nothing intelligent that I can say to you... I understand that you want to preen."
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