By now you’ve probably read about the flash mob that descended on downtown Chicago Saturday night but, as always, there’s more to the story.
The mob reportedly formed on social media then descended on Millennium Park, smashing and setting fire to cars in a riot that left two teenage boys in a nearby hospital with gunshot wounds. One boy was shot in the arm, another in the leg. Both are in stable condition. No arrests have been made in the shootings.
Police were basically helpless. Out of a “crowd of more than a hundred,” according to the Daily Mail, police managed just 15 arrests. Nine were adults and the other six were described as “children” by the UK tabloid. Judging by the many videos, there were plenty of minors present but no children.
Here’s a collection of a few violent scenes, including the sound of gunfire.
🚨👉#Chicago is FULL ON Gotham City & the Arkham villains are on the loose and they wonder why Walmart stores are closing. These same types from Chicago have flocked to Texas cities like Houston & Dallas. These are children in this video. Where are their parents? pic.twitter.com/ZTXW3tdcVx
— DEL (@delinthecity_) April 17, 2023
One video released by CWB Chicago shows a black mob assaulting a white woman on the 100 block of North Wabash.
Warning: Disturbing video.
This footage is included in a sort of “mix tape” of social media posts floating purporting to be from the “large group” incident in the Loop on Saturday night.
The woman is being attacked in the doorway of 129 North Wabash. #Chicago pic.twitter.com/1WugjCMfMT
— CWBChicago (@CWBChicago) April 17, 2023
The riot wasn’t racist in nature. Here’s a similar group of thugs attacking a black woman at a local Walmart. It’s nice to see her daughter standing up for her with the only weapon at hand.
Just last week, I wrote a column about how Walmart was closing four unprofitable Chicago locations after opening the first one 17 years ago. Why now? Well, there’s the “looming” recession (that we’re already in), sure, but also scenes like this one.
In the background, there is what appears to be a black youth, also knocked down and assaulted.
Chicago Walmart Action !
Not one of them has a father and mother living in the same house 🏠 #Chicago #walmartExclusive
— Redneck Azn (@LMFireSystems1) April 16, 2023
Whatever you want to call that mob, they aren’t children. Several Twitter commenters asked where are the parents. But the real question is: Where are the fathers?
Outgoing mayor Lori Lightfoot issued a statement on Sunday, saying that “parents and guardians must know where their children are and be responsible for their actions. Instilling the important values of respect for people and property must begin at home.” She also claimed to have had “very candid and productive conversations” with the Chicago Police Department about how to monitor social media and respond to flash mobs.
More important, however, is how incoming mayor Brandon Johnson reacted. His Sunday statement read: “It is unacceptable and has no place in our city. However, it is not constructive to demonize youth who have otherwise been starved of opportunities in their own communities.”
If we can’t demonize 16-year-olds hounding a woman to the ground and beating her, who can we demonize? What kind of missing “opportunities” are created by wreaking havoc on cars, buses, and one another?
What will the new mayor do, when inevitably he’s tested by the gangs — both flash and organized crime — causing mayhem and murder in one of the country’s worst-run cities?