Ald. Raymond Lopez: Vagrants are sleeping next to baggage claim at O'Hare
Democratic Chicago Ald. Raymond Lopez joins 'Tucker Carlson Tonight' to discuss the 'out-of-control' homeless encampment at Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
A Chicago Democrat is sounding the alarm on Chicago's homeless crisis, detailing how O'Hare International Airport has been "overrun" with vagrants that have prompted the location to become an "indoor outhouse."
Democratic Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez called out Mayor Lori Lightfoot for the spiraling crisis on "Tucker Carlson Tonight" as she seeks re-election in less than two weeks.
"They're not just urinating in the hallways," Lopez told Tucker Carlson on Wednesday. "They're taking baths in the toilets there. They're making a mockery of what Chicago is here, and we understand that homelessness is a problem we must address."
"But making O'Hare Airport a homeless shelter for hundreds of people on a daily basis, when we're trying to welcome people here, when we're trying to encourage tourism, bring back the business clientele, bring back families to our city, and to only have them greeted by hundreds of homeless who have mental health issues, may be armed, may be not even be clothed, that's not something that institutes a lot of confidence in our mayor, in our city," he continued.
"And clearly, she doesn't care because she's 17 miles away from it."
Critics unraveled after photos of O'Hare went viral this week, depicting what many have dubbed the airport's "homeless encampment."
Lori Lightfoot, mayor of Chicago, speaks during a news conference in Chicago, Illinois, US, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. Lightfoot defended her public safety strategy on Wednesday after city council members, residents and a watchdog group expressed concerns over police department staffing and a lack of budget transparency. Photographer: Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The pictures appear to show vagrants, inside the airport, sleeping and congregating with tents and other essentials as residents remain concerned over public safety in the Windy City.
But Lopez reiterated the need to "fight" for the city, and to fight back against the "failed mayor" so the city can pursue an enriching "path forward."
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"We have to fight back for this city because we can't allow what's happening here to become the mainstay for every neighborhood and for every iconic part of Chicago, which is overrun by the homeless, overrun by gangs, overrun by criminality, and what should be a welcoming city to all the good law-abiding people who want to make this home," Lopez said.
Crime remains a top priority for Chicagoans, with a recent Mason-Dixon poll indicating 44% of voters claim it is the most important issue to them before heading to the polls.
The data comes as Lightfoot's popularity slips amid the crime crisis, with a BSP poll suggesting she currently ranks third against her opponents in her bid for re-election.
Chicago-based reporter William Kelly blamed Chicago's "crime epidemic" on Lightfoot during "Fox & Friends First," accusing her of leading with policies that embolden criminals.
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"I love Chicago with all my heart, and it absolutely breaks my heart to see Chicago essentially turn into the world's largest open-air mental institution," Kelly told Ashley Strohmier on Thursday. "Now, it's not only the homeless people… but it's… violent repeat offenders right back out on the street, and the law-abiding citizens are forced to just go along with this as if it's normal."
"Mayor Lightfoot's goal was to make all of the citizens of Chicago equal, right? Well, she seems to have achieved that by bringing the law-abiding, productive citizens down to the level of the violent repeat offenders and the criminally insane," he continued. "That is the real tragedy of Chicago right now."
Kelly is suing the city after his press credentials were revoked after he pressed Lightfoot on the city's crime surge, which soared 41%, as it pertains to violent crime, just last year.
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Robberies are also already up 114% this year in comparison to the same time frame last year.
"Chicago… has a crime epidemic," Kelly said. "It's due entirely to the policies of the mayor. The one-two punch of the lockdowns and the looting have resulted in people not only feeling unsafe, but now criminals being emboldened."
"We just had a case of 13-year-old who carjacked a car and then sped into a 70-year-old man killing him, and they were released the same day," he continued. "Criminals know that if there are no consequences to their crimes."
Chicagoans will first head to the polls on Feb. 28 to vote in the mayoral election.
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