Pritzker Says “Look Around — Families Eating Ice Cream On The Riverwalk”

But Chicago’s reality is nearly 1,900 murders in just three years, rampant crime, and a century of failed Democrat leadership.

On Monday, following weekend reports that President Trump had been planning to deploy military personnel in Chicago, Governor J.B. Pritzker brushed off the city’s crime crisis with a speech aimed at blasting Trump. He told reporters:

“Look around you right now. Does this look like an emergency? Look at this. Go talk to the people of Chicago who are enjoying a gorgeous afternoon in this city. Ask the families buying ice cream on the Riverwalk. Go see the students who are at the beach after school. Talk to the workers that I just met taking the water taxi to get here.”

While Pritzker paints a picture of families eating ice cream on the Riverwalk, the reality is far darker. Chicago has become a symbol of crime and failed leadership. In 2022 the city saw 695 murders, in 2023 there were 617, and in 2024 another 581. That’s 1,893 murders in just three years — nearly 2,000 lives lost under Democrat leadership. And those numbers don’t even touch the rampant robbery, retail theft, and carjackings that define daily life in Chicago.

As a sanctuary city, Chicago not only blocks cooperation with ICE but also spends taxpayer dollars giving legal aid to those in the country illegally. Illinois’ SAFE-T Act went even further, abolishing cash bail entirely — ensuring that repeat offenders are back on the streets within hours of arrest. Prosecutors routinely downgrade charges, judges cut criminals loose on little or nothing, police are dangerously short-staffed, and fewer and fewer crimes are ever solved. In Chicago, the system doesn’t protect victims — it protects criminals.

The result is a revolving door where businesses flee, families live in fear, and criminals feel untouchable. Chicago doesn’t protect citizens — it protects criminals.

This didn’t happen overnight. Democrats have controlled the mayor’s office in Chicago since 1931 — nearly a century of one-party rule. If they were ever going to fix the problem, they would have done it by now. Instead, decade after decade, their policies have created the crime, fueled the chaos, and protected the criminals who terrorize the city. Chicago is living proof that under Democrat leadership, the violence never ends — and it never will.