Pritkzer, Bailey continue to throw down on crime
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and gubernatorial rival Sen. Darren Bailey escalated their throwdown over crime rates in Chicago with eight weeks to go before the Nov. 8 election.
The Xenia Republican used the trendy Fulton Market neighborhood where two tourists were recently mugged as a backdrop for a news conference Tuesday.
"Chicago is living 'The Purge,' when criminals ravage at will and the cops are told to stand down," Bailey said, referring to a 2013 horror film.
He repeated his controversial description of Chicago as a "hellhole" and said the SAFE-T Act, supported by Pritzker as a criminal justice measure, will cause violence to spiral.
"For those who will not see - lift the veils from your eyes before they're ripped away by one of the gang members or criminals our leaders have set free."
The downstate farmer is briefly staying in Chicago because "I want to immerse myself in the culture," he said.
Pritzker on Monday called out Bailey for how he voted on police funding.
"He literally voted against a budget that would fund state police in Illinois - the increase in state police that we need," Pritzker said.
"He voted against providing new crime labs so we could solve crimes faster - those crime labs are the ones that have eliminated the rape kit backlog in our state. Darren Bailey voted against all those things that would reduce crime and prevent crime."
The Chicago Democrat rebutted criticisms regarding how refugees and asylum-seekers bused to Chicago by Republican Gov. Greg Abbot of Texas have been accommodated at hotels in some suburbs, including Elk Grove Village.
"The governor of Texas is sowing chaos around the nation," Pritkzer said. "They're sending people in buses without telling us when they're coming. They sometimes arrive with three to perhaps 24 hours notice ... and that means we've got to find shelter for them," Pritzker said.
When shelter space in Chicago is filled, "it's not like we're picking some suburb but rather if there happens to be a hotel that happens to be available and has the right number of rooms."
Meanwhile Bailey explained a Monday appearance at the Palestinian American Club in Bridgeview where he spoke in front of a map of the Middle East that left out Israel.
"I support Israel, I always have," Bailey said. "But I will listen to everyone that wants to come to the table and talk."