After laying off no city workers during lockdown, Lightfoot complains of Chicago's revenue shortfall

North Michigan Avenue in June

Mayor Lori Lightfoot will go down as the worst mayor in Chicago's history. Crime is out of control. Chicago's cash cow, the downtown area, accounts for 70 percent of the city's economic activity. This section of what is for now America's third-largest city was hit by two rounds of widespread looting this year.

Now Lightfoot says Chicago faces massive budget shortfalls.

Mayor Beetlejuice was one of the most enthusiastic mayors in America enforcing--over enforcing that is--the COVID-19 lockdown. Let's say she was right about the threat of the coronavirus--which she wasn't--but let's just say she was for now. All Chicago restaurants were closed for over two months this spring. Why not lay off all of Chicago's health inspectors? Air travel way down. How many municipal employees were furloughed this spring? What about the teachers in Chicago's schools who weren't teaching?

None, I repeat, none were laid off.

None.

I know, there were union contracts that protected these workers, but Lightfoot told us this was an unprecedented time with unique challenges.

But Mayor Lightweight is a tool of the public-sector unions. She's afraid to cross them. Don't tell me she couldn't find a clause in their contracts to lay off city workers. She could have if she wanted to.

Now she says Chicago faces an $800 million budget gap for 2020 and $1.2 billion for 2021.

How did Lightfoot prepare for this predictable shortfall? Certainly not by laying off unneeded workers. Oh, I've lost jobs before. It sucks. Mrs. Marathon Pundit was laid off from her position in March. She won't be hired back. Little Marathon Pundit was furloughed for two months because of the coronavirus.

Why did Chicago need health inspectors for restaurants that were closed?

And this is just one example.

Kenosha police chief: 175 arrested so far during rioting, 102 not from that city

Car dealership in Kenosha yesterday

So much for the leftist belief that the riots and lootings in Kenosha were spontaneous rage among the residents. Many appear to be opportunists.

From Fox Chicago:

Of the 175 arrested, Chief Miskinis said 34 were arrested for curfew violations and additional charges ranging from carrying concealed weapons to burglary and possession of controlled substances.

The chief said 69 people were arrested for curfew violations.

Those arrests include people from 44 different cities, the chief said, noting that 102 of the people "processed during this week" listed addresses from outside Kenosha.

More than 20 firearms were seized, the chief said, "followed up by active investigations."

Related post:

Kenosha post-riot photos

Ten killed and 45 wounded over weekend in Chicago; five shot in mass shooting at pancake house

The last weekend in August was another bloody one in Chicago. During that weekend 10 people were shot to death and another 45 were wounded.

The worst incident was a mass shooting on the Far South Side at a pancake house where one person was killed and an additional four people were wounded.

Also, early Sunday morning two Chicago police officers were wounded in an exchange of gunfire that saw the suspect also shot.

Kenosha post-riot photos

This afternoon Mrs. Marathon Pundit took the short drive up from Marathon Pundit world headquarters up to Kenosha. Riots and looting hit the city last Sunday after Jacob Blake, an unarmed black man with a criminal record, was shot seven times by police.

Every business in downtown Kenosha was boarded up. All of them. Sure, the rioters and looters might have overlooked a place; or two and the retailers or the owner of the buildings that weren't hit might have been boarded up since for protection. Nevertheless they are all boarded up.

Detroit never recovered from the riots of 1967. Black-owned businesses painted "Soul Brother" on their front windows during that upheaval. This Kenosha black-owned business is pursuing the same strategy.

This sign reads, "This is a family-owned business. Pleas protect the people in our community." Hmm. So it's acceptable to loot and vandalize a corporate-owned businesses according to this sign's logic?

The clean-up of Kenosha, according to local activists, is underway. Which consists of looted businesses having their newly-installed plywood facades painted with feel-good messages such as "Humanity is my religion." I'll get to religion in a bit. But look at the orange message, "Kids live upstairs." The meaning is burn and loot someplace else. The victims are negotiating with the criminals. By the way there was arson during last week's riots. That's next.

On Sheridan Road a car dealership was struck by arsonists who probably brought more gasoline with them than Dwight Eisenhower needed for the D-Day invasion. No, these vehicles were not destroyed by a nuclear blast. The rust, if that's what it is, was not on these cars a week ago. The glass on from these cars melted. Yes melted. The tires are now cinders. To those people who called the Kenosha Riot a spontaneous outburst need to visit Sheridan Road. Who carries around enough gasoline to destroy more than 100 cars?

Yes the glass melted on this hatchback.

There's a steeple in the background. I said I'd get to religion, right? The steeple belongs to Christ the King Church.

"Nobody steps on a church in my town," Bill Murray screamed in Ghostbusters. But are churches vandalized in Kenosha? That appears to be the situation at Christ the King.

Really now. Do you think the pastor of this church decided to place plywood so high to protect this church? Or was it vandalized? I'll bet on the latter.

The heart sign in front of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church reads "We believe black lives matter." But the windows on the side of the house of worship are boarded up.

Law offices of BLM?

That's not the federal court house in Portland. That's the one in Kenosha. This federal house of law is barricaded and protected by troops. Sad.

Dontcha just love the vintage Rexall Drugs sign? I do!

It wasn't just downtown Kenosha that was plagued with looting. We entered Kenosha from Illinois by way of Green Bay Road. The stores and malls in western Kenosha were hit hard too.

One more car dealership arson pic for you.

On Tuesday President Trump will visit law enforcement officials in Kenosha. Wisconsin's Democratic governor, Tony Evers, doesn't want him to come.

Evers responded with anemic assistance as Kenosha burned last week.

From Da Tech Guy: Last week’s riot toll is three dead

The media won't frame this the story as I did at Da Tech Guy: Last week’s riot toll is three dead.

Two Chicago cops and suspect shot on West Side Sunday morning

Bad news from Chicago this morning.

From Fox Chicago:

Two Chicago police officers were shot and the suspected shooter was wounded by police Sunday after a traffic stop in Homan Square on the West Side.

The shooting happened at 2:33 a.m. in the 3300 block of West Polk Street, according to Chicago police.

In a news conference outside Stroger Hospital Sunday morning, CPD Supt. David Brown said the officers conducted a traffic stop near Spaulding and Polk and spotted a gun in the vehicle. The officers broke the vehicle’s windows after the suspect, who appeared to have moved from the front seat to the back seat, refused to get out of the car. A struggle ensued.

During the struggle, the suspect shot one officer in the shoulder and one in the side, Brown said. A third officer returned fire and hit the suspect.

Old 97's - Turn Off The TV (Official Video)

The Old 97s have a new album, Twelfth.

Here's a song from it, "Turn Off The TV."

Alice Johnson describes receiving a full pardon from President Trump

President Trump performed a wonderful deed for a great woman on Friday.

At protest near White House Thursday leftists put life-size Trump doll at guillotine

The leftists are truly revolting. Keep in mind, the media source here is Newsweek, also known as Newsweak, a left-wing publication. From them: Protesters Put Life-Size Donald Trump Doll in Guillotine Outside White House.

Imagine if Barack Obama received similar treatment.

Anarchy is Chicago's new normal: Downtown businesses boarding up in anticipation of weekend looting

Magnificent Mile in June

Chicago's downtown and the adjacent Magnificent Mile have been struck twice by looting this summer. With two protests planned on North Michigan Avenue tomorrow afternoon--a pro-police march and a Black Lives Matter march--things might get ugly.

As for the latter, it can rightfully be called an anti-capitalism rally as its goal is to shut down the Mag Mile, which is Chicago's premier shopping area.

And businesses are preparing. By boarding themselves up ahead of the mayhem. Except of course those shops that are still boarded up from the last round of looting earlier in August.

From CBS Chicago:

Some stores were looted twice this summer and warn they won’t survive if that happens again.

CBS 2’s Jeremy Ross reports from the Loop with more on how stores are preparing.

The businesses, business organizations are all adamant: They welcome protesters. They welcome peaceful protesters, but when things like busted windows — stolen merchandise occurs

Shops around the Loop once again boarding up windows in advance of Saturday’s protest. Many are still boarded up from looting on August 10, like Paul Young Fine Jewelers.

About these businesses "welcoming protesters." These managers and business owners are either afraid to speak out or just rock dumb. The BLM march as you know has a goal to "shut down the Magnificent Mile." If the Mag Mile is shut down Saturday, which seems very likely, no one can buy things there.

Speak up! Get a back bone! Don't be wusses!

UPDATE 9:45PM CDT: A friend of the blog tells me that stores in the area will be closing early Saturday. Mission accomplished--for the anti-capitalists.