Democrat Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot suggested that street vendors start going cashless in order to prevent robberies.
Lightfoot made her stunning comment during a mayoral race debate last Thursday night. She said she has been working with street vendors to potentially make them go cashless due to the uptick in theft.
“I heard a lot of rhetoric here, a lot of soundbites, but not a lot of concrete solutions on how we get the job done and make our residents and our workers safe. We’re doing it every single day,” Lightfoot said, adding:
We have been in Little Village working with those street vendors, understanding what the nature of the crime is, making sure that we’re doing things in concert with them to help them, to make sure that their money is secure. Not use money, if at all possible, using other forms of transactions to carry themselves.
Lightfoot said that those stores can “protect themselves” by not taking cash.
“We’ve been in Little Village working with those vendors hand and glove to make sure that they are doing things that they can do to protect themselves like not using cash, making sure that the cash that they do take in is secure,” she said.
CHICAGO, IL – JULY 27: Chicago Police guard evidence near a murder scene in the Humboldt Park neighborhood on July 27, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. At least 400 murders have been recorded to date in 2017 in the Chicago. The city is on a pace to top last year’s total of more than 750 murders, the highest the number since the early 1990’s. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
As Fox News noted, public data shows that the Little Village district of Chicago has seen a “13% increase in robberies in 2022 when compared to 2021, with 477 robberies taking place in 2022.”
So far in 2023, robberies in the 10th district are already up by 114% when compared to the same time in 2022 with 30 robberies taking place this year.
Citywide, while the number of shootings decreased by 20% in 2022 versus 2021, violent crime as a whole increased by 41%.
In 2022, there were 8,996 reports of robberies versus 7,911 in 2021.
Despite these sobering numbers, Lightfoot insists that her crime plans have been working. Earlier this month, she shared a campaign ad on Twitter claiming that she has put more police officers on the street.
“When it comes to addressing crime in our city, I’ve got a plan — and it’s working,” she said.
When Lightfoot’s opponent, Paul Vallas, said that “Crime is out of control in Chicago,” Lightfoot responded:
Paul, do your homework. We’re already doing all of this — holding dangerous people accountable, tackling gangs and gun violence, making equitable investments in our communities — and will continue to make Chicago safer. Much more to do, but we are on the right path.
Paul, do your homework. We’re already doing all of this — holding dangerous people accountable, tackling gangs and gun violence, making equitable investments in our communities — and will continue to make Chicago safer. Much more to do, but we are on the right path. https://t.co/r9tXBXpdKx
— Lori Lightfoot (@LoriLightfoot) January 5, 2023
As Breitbart News noted, “the Chicago Police Department released data for major crime complaints in 2022, showing that crime increased by 41 percent. Furthermore, since Lightfoot came into office three years ago, crime has risen by 33 percent.”
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