Reporter To Lori Lightfoot: 'Are You Lying Or Are You Incompetent?'

 

Source - Lori Lightfoot

At her press briefing yesterday, a reporter (William Kelly) pressed Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot over violent crime. We are going to show you the complete conversation as well as the short clip of this news conference, which is shown below this article. So Let's get started.

Lori Lightfoot: Sir just every other reporter sir can you please ask your question the reporter held the microphone I don't believe that that's correct but go ahead 

Reporter: I have a lot of questions ask your questions, okay, So Mayor Lori Lightfoot every time i ask you about crime in Chicago you say crime is down. Real Chicagoans know that that's not true that crime is up violent sexual assaults it's on the news every day up violent carjackings every day hit and run 100-day hit and run of Chicagoans. 

Lori Lightfoot: Do you have a question?

Reporter: Yes the obvious question that I've been asked by real Chicagoans to ask you is, Are you lying or are you incompetent?

Lori Lightfoot replied with a smile: I very doubt very much that's a question you've been having as a real question I'm going to try to treat you the exact wording you're trying to clean it up sir I'm going to answer the question and then I have a photo the data speaks for itself and on all of the azure measures that you've just talked about homicide shootings carjackings down this year sir sorry to disappoint you but.

Reporter: That is the 78 increase in carjackings violent carjackings and daunting.

Lori Lightfoot: No you are sir carjackings in our city okay you are you're one of the rudest people i've ever seen you really are I am yeah you are sir.

Reporter: I would think that carjackers would be the rudest people.

Lori Lightfoot: Well now you're rude in this room okay because you want to give a speech and pontificate but you don't actually want to listen to the facts and the facts are while nobody's taking a victory lap while we have a lot more work to do the fact of the matter is carjackings are down shootings are down and homicides are down you have another question to follow up sir.

Reporter: I do indeed the reason why workers do not want to return to the downtown offices the reason Why tourism is obviously flat flatlined is that people are afraid of the violent crime especially in downtown Chicago river north Streeterville millennium park grant park we have every single day violent carjackings gun to the head sir gun to the head violence.

Lori Lightfoot: Please I am going to ask you I've been very patient with you you come in here and you give a speech every single time just ask your question be a real journalist ask your question.

Reporter: A very disturbing development with the violent carjackings is they are primarily being carried out by teenagers and when I say teenagers I mean 14 15 16-year-olds

Lori Lightfoot: I'm aware of.

Reporter: What is the reason for this and what is your plan at long last to solve this problem?

Lori Lightfoot: Well, first of all, let me just say this we're actually seeing an increase in the number of people that are coming back downtown. And it's certainly an increase over last year and month over month and we are part of the reason that we've heard from employers as to why they still haven't brought back all their employees is because of first the delta which we were experiencing in the fall and then omicron which we're experiencing at the end of the year.

At the beginning of this year where our expectations based upon our regular conversations with employers and building owners is that we're going to start to see more and more people come back downtown, so once again sir it's really important that you get your facts right.

Yes, you're you are right on one point which is that a number of people that are involved in our carjackings are juveniles. We are arresting people who are juveniles that have three four five six pending cases, the answer there is we've got to get the courts frankly to take this seriously we don't.

I don't agree that we lock up juveniles and throw around the key throw away the key but what we must do is not just do nothing, which is what unfortunately was happening right now. So we are working with the State's Attorney we're going to be reaching out to the public defender but other stakeholders to make sure that we're intervening with these kids.

So, for example, there was an infamous story of an 11 year old who was arrested last fall who was a leader of a carjacking crew because of the work that's been done to intervene with that young boy to change his life around he was growing up in very difficult circumstances.

He is now in a stable home setting. He is going to school regularly and I'm told that he just made the honor roll that's one case. But what if you want to do call and response this is don't interrupt this isn't the place for it. So I think I have answered enough of your question thank you very much thank you everyone have a great day.

This is the complete conversation, you can also watch this video clip attached below: