Nineteen Chicago alderman are calling for an emergency meeting with Mayor Lori Lightfoot, demanding that she provide answers for the city’s surging crime rates. Raymond Lopez, alderman for Chicago’s 15th ward, told Fox News’ Dana Perino on “America’s Newsroom” that the city’s leadership is not up for the job of keeping residents safe.

CHICAGO MAYOR LIGHTFOOT SAYS 99% OF CRITICS MOTIVATED BY RACISM, SEXISM

RAYMOND LOPEZ: Lori Lightfoot has been saying that calls for answers about violence and how we’re addressing the nonstop bloodshed on our streets was a stunt. It was political. It was a joke to her. It was the diversion. She’s never taken this seriously. And 19 aldermen have asked for this meeting so that we can get answers. Our superintendent clearly is not up to the job. The mayor is not up to the job to keep the city of Chicago safe. And we want her on record, not in a backroom meeting. We want her on record to explain how she’s going to keep Chicagoans safe. We have seen mass shootings on the rise. We had a shooting in front of my house yesterday by gang bangers checking someone who just happened to come home with his girlfriend. It is out of control, and we need to get some results that keep people safe. 

My constituents and people generally throughout the city of Chicago are afraid. We’ve seen time and again where just standing in front of your own home can get you killed. They don’t see a cohesive strategy. We see that our police officers are being overworked, no days off – 12-, 15-, 17-hour shifts, weeks at a time. All the while not being able to arrest people, not being able to chase people, not being able to do their job. And our residents want answers.

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