South Side Residents Felt 'Abandoned' After Businesses Were Damaged, Set On Fire
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago's mayor and top cop responded to weekend violence that left countless businesses permanently damaged.
CBS 2 Political investigator Dana Kozlov at Chicago's policing strategy and how many of looters are actually being arrested.
"The mayor totally abandoned, just totally left us without any kind of coverage, the South Side of the city," said a longtime West Englewood resident. She is angry. At the looters. And at Mayor Lori Lightfoot for what she believes was a total lack of preparation, policing and protection for businesses in those areas.
"We've been seeing a lot of chaos and pandemonium in the communities that I represent," said Ald. Ray Lopez (15th.) He echoed abandonment concerns. Lopez said he tried to warn the mayor, but she didn't listen.
"And the fact she was told in the morning that the possibility of neighborhood chaos was very high, by me, because of what was happening downtown, and she refused to listen or entertain the possibility led to the disasters yesterday," Lopez said.
Mayor Lightfoot said all of those claims are false.
"The fact of the matter is exactly the opposite is true. The strategy yesterday was to add more personnel and services to the neighborhoods on the South and West Side. That's what happened," Lightfoot said.
The mayor and police superintendent say 699 people were arrested. Police Superintendent David Brown said part of the policing challenges Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning were due to orchestrated groups using strike and diversion tactics.
"I was on the ground, in the field and I watched these looters to loot in one area to try to flank our officers in the back and hit the target they intended," Brown said.
Brown said CPD is still looking into how many came in from out of state. But people like Ald. Lopez, who said these communities that are already struggling economically, that more should have been done.
