Free Republic

Voices across Chicago and the nation expressed alarm on Saturday after two shootings in the Loop following the city’s annual Christmas tree lighting left a 14-year-old boy dead and eight other people, nearly all juveniles, wounded. Officials said officers arrested 18 people and recovered five firearms during what authorities described as widespread mayhem in the downtown area after the ceremony. Video circulating on social media showed a group of young people beating and robbing an apparent teenage victim in the Loop during Friday’s mayhem. As the boy curled up on the ground, someone pulled off his winter coat. Moments later,...

A man with a 30-year criminal record, reportedly at least 72 arrests, and around 15 convictions, lit a 26-year-old woman on fire on a train in Chicago Monday night. She is fighting for her life in critical condition.Mayor Brandon Johnson on Thursday called it an “isolated incident.”The “isolated incident” highlights everything that is wrong with progressive politics and Democrat leadership in all too many of our cities: let the criminals run free, forget about the victims, and vilify the police.But it only got worse for the Windy City Friday night, as the rampant violence and death the city has become...

A night of celebration spiraled into panic when two shootings rocked Chicago just hours after the city lit its official Christmas tree. One person was killed and eight others were wounded on Friday as terrified crowds fled through an area known as The Loop. The first burst of gunfire erupted around 9.50pm near State and Randolph streets, steps from the Chicago Theatre. Police on patrol heard shots fired into a large group, triggering a stampede.

Multiple police officers were attacked, including one who was injured, while responding to a shooting in Chicago on Friday in which at least five victims were shot. The incident happened near State and Randolph streets at about 10 p.m., just hours after a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, according to Fox 32. Ald. Brian Hopkins of Chicago's 2nd Ward said at least five people were shot, including one person in critical condition. "300 juveniles rioting in the Loop now, at least 5 victims shot, one critical with life threatening gunshot wound to torso," he wrote on X. "Multiple police officers attacked...

Last weekend in Chicago’s Loop, all hell broke loose as hundreds of teens rampaged across the downtown area near Millenium Park. A bus driver was assaulted, a young girl was shot, and 21 people were arrested. It’s becoming a distressingly familiar occurrence in Chicago. Mayor Lori Lightfoot blames the parents. “Do you know where your children are?” the clueless mayor asked. Last weekend’s “Wild in the Streets” moment was the result of social media influencers spreading the word on several platforms. But the “Flash Mob” wasn’t some harmless stunt. Two officers were injured in the melee, and the general sense...

For the first time in his presidency, President Donald Trump will visit Chicago on Monday for a pair of scheduled events. The president will address the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference at McCormick Place, and will also attend a fundraiser at the Trump International Hotel and Tower during his visit. Trump’s visit to Chicago is his first since March 2016, when protests canceled a scheduled rally at the then-UIC Pavilion at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Campaign organizers told those planning to attend the rally for then-candidate Trump that after consulting with law enforcement, the decision was made to...