Mayor Johnson: ‘The Extreme Right in This Country Refuse to Accept the Results of The Civil War, They Have Repeatedly Called for a Rematch’

Johnson: “I know there are many Chicagoans who are disturbed by the images and the videos that they are seeing on the news and social media. There are many who are scared and shocked by what they are seeing. The truth is, is that we are at a tipping point. This administration is trying to divide us and pit people groups against one another. They want to divide and conquer. And as I said, in the South Shore, and this has been said very clearly, black people in one van and immigrants in another. In the face of this unprecedented threat, this moment calls for unity. Black, brown, white, Asian, young, old, north side, west side, south side, we must all pull aside our differences and defend one another. Because if we allow this to continue to be unchecked, by the time we realize what’s happening, it’ll be too late. This executive order is a step towards accountability and it’s calling for the basic rule of law. In the coming days and weeks, we may be pushed, if not forced, to take even more dramatic action if this administration continues to escalate and provoke our people. In closing, last night I spoke with the governor. And he informed me that the Trump Administration is deploying Texas National Guard to our city. We will speak to our response later today. We’ll do that with the governor as well as the attorney general. For now, let me just say that we are unequivocally going to continue to reject the military occupation of our city. The Trump Administration must end the war on Chicago. The Trump Administration must end this war against Americans. The Trump Administration must end its attempt to dismantle our democracy. Right as we are making historic progress in reducing violence, the Trump Administration is seeking to destabilize our city and provoke chaos. We said that they would use ICE as a pretext to send in the National Guard. And now they are doing just that. I’ve also said for the last couple of years that the extreme right in this country refused to accept the results of the Civil War. They have repeatedly called for a rematch. But in the coming weeks, we will use this opportunity to build greater resistance. Chicagoans are clear, militarizing our troops in our city as justification to further escalate a war in Chicago will not be tolerated. The past teaches us that just because we are on the right side of history, that doesn’t mean that we will succeed. It’s going to take courage and determination, bravery, unity. But one thing that I know for sure in this great nation, this moment that we are in, Chicago was built for this moment. Immigrants from around the world, descendants of slaves, have come to this city to make it the global capital of the world. And now we stand in a moment that is testing our very humanity. And the city of Chicago will stand the test of time.”