Weekend Numbers

We had speculated at six dead and fifteen maimed for the weekend - a combined twenty-one count.

In actuality (all stats via HeyJackass.com):

• three dead, twenty-four wounded

Twenty-seven, so not too far off, but the second number was kind of surprising. We thought crime was down what with Conehead bragging a few weeks ago.

Crime is....Funny?

Or is it just the "training" that's being pushed by people looking to grift some money?

• Three dozen police captains pair off in a Chicago conference room to play a game: They must start a sentence with the last word their partner used.

  Many exchanges are nonsensical, full of one-upmanship using difficult words and laughter. But the improvisation game eventually makes sense.

  “What we are trying to do, is get you to listen to the end of the sentence,” says Kelly Leonard, wrapping up the improvisational exercise. “If my arm was a sentence, when do most people stop listening? Always the elbow! But then you’re missing everything that goes after… and sometimes that’s critical information.”

  The police captains who have flown in from departments across the country nod. “I definitely do that,” some call out.

  Officials at the University of Chicago Crime Lab’s Policing Leadership Academy brought members of The Second City, Chicago’s storied improv theater, to teach police leaders the more diverse skills found in improv exercises — like thinking on your feet, reserving judgment and fully listening.

So how much is this costing taxpayers? Especially the part about flying in captains from "across the country." Which jurisdictions are paying for this nonsense?

Go read it all, if only to be disgusted by what passes as "training" for all the wrong reasons. 

Interesting Application of the Law

Remember on 10 June, that red Kia that disobeyed police and ended up driving through a protest? The media wasted no time claiming the driver "plowed through" the crowd, in spite of all sorts of video that didn't show anyone hit nor bodies flying through the air the way we've seen in assorted terror attacks across Europe.

Here's the Slum Times just yesterday:

• A woman who allegedly drove into a crowd of protesters with her kids in the car this month in the Loop and injuring a 66-year-old has been arrested and is facing charges.

  Deirdre Kemp, 30, surrendered to police Thursday and is accused of plowing through thousands of protesters June 10 near State and Monroe streets, Chicago police said.

Loaded language throughout the article. But if you bother to read down a few extra paragraphs, you find this:

• One officer tried to get Kemp to stop and pulled on her driver’s-side door handle, but authorities say Kemp sped off.

  Another officer continued chasing after Kemp but lost his balance and ran into 66-year-old Heather Blair, who suffered a broken arm. She was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in good condition and released the same day.

So the Officer ran into the senior citizen and caused her to fall and break her arm?

Fine, glad to see the driver got charged for her illegal actions that caused someone else harm.

But that sounds like the "felony murder" rule, just on a smaller scale. Something that was discontinued with the SAFE-T Act regarding homicides and other violent crimes, but now being used over a hit-and-run?

Things that make you go, "Hmmmm." 

Tax Increases Inbound

From a friend (click for larger version):

And if that wasn't bad enough, there's a bill in Springfield that is purportedly going to cost the average family in Illinois an EXTRA $3,700 per vehicle, per year in "road usage fees:"

• IL SB1938 is still alive and could come up for vote in October. If passed it could tax you up to 30 cents per mile driven. Avg. $3,750 per IL household annually!

As far as we can tell, this is starting out as a "pilot program" to see how easily Illinois lawmakers can steal more money from everyone. They claim it is a possible replacement for the gas tax, but when has Illinois ever revoked an existing tax? We'll give you a hint - never.

The text of the Bill can be read here.

Next up, registering all of our cars somewhere else.

Body Snatchers Contract Up?

Rumor time:

• Pretty soon, Chicago will be phasing out its body-removal contract with Allied Services and switching to contracting with a specific funeral home. Is nepotism afoot? Being Chicago, I wouldn't be surprised. 

Allied was always a scam operation. It used to take hours for them to show up until it was pointed out that keeping cops off the streets for four hours and sometime more was not the best use of manpower. That was when the 45 minute rule (75?) was instituted.

And before that, it was discovered that Allied was charging the City over $800 per removal. Comparable contracts in other cities were under $300.....and in a pinch, a wagon crew could do it for out-of-grade pay from D1 to D3, payable for the entire tour, but amounting to under $100.

And we're old enough to have met and worked with some wagon guys who were investigated (and cleared) of steering bodies to connected funeral homes for $50 per stiff. 

Are we about to return to the bad old days of certain establishments getting bodies for a "fee" with associated kickbacks to Conehead's reelection campaign?

Reinsdorf v Waller

Story late last week:

• A Cook County judge on Friday ordered Chicago White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf to be deposed as part of a lawsuit against the team stemming from the August 2023 shooting in the Rate Field bleachers.

  Reinsdorf — who’s in the midst of a deal to sell the team he’s owned for more than 40 years — must give sworn testimony by July 31.

  An attorney for the White Sox, Robert Shannon, told Judge Sarah Brunson on Friday that the questions for Reinsdorf will likely center around comments he made to the media in the days after the shooting, as well as the team’s decision to not call off the rest of the game after the shooting occurred.

And what would those comments be?

• “They haven’t come to a final conclusion, but have done a lot of investigation,” Reinsdorf previously said. “We have gathered a lot of facts, and, without getting into the detail because I don’t want to influence the police’s decision, but the fact is based upon the information available to us, I see virtually no possibility that the gunshots came from within the ballpark.”

Of course not. because then he's have to admit that security sucked, he was hiring connected individuals and skimping on actual security measures. Not a good look.

But let's see what an actual Police official said, someone (allegedly) trained in investigative techniques and familiar with the rules of evidence:

• However, that same week, [interim Superintendent] Waller told reporters:

  “We’re dispelling a lot of things … (A shot) coming from outside is something we’ve almost completely dispelled. We’re still looking at every avenue. It’s still under investigation. Something from inside, it could’ve happened that way. We’re looking at every avenue, exploring every lead and everything that we can get.”

So either someone misunderstood what they were being told (Reinsdorf) or someone is selling Waller down the river (Reinsdorf). Either way, Fred doesn't look good.

And you'll recall some of the posts we made - the physics involved, the imaginary ShotSpotter readings from miles away, the scorch mark on the weapon smuggler's belly, etc. Did anyone ever see if the CPS employee had a gun purchase in her background? 

Odd Connections

So this was reported way back in April:

• A high-profile lobbyist who is a former top aide to Gov. JB Pritzker is cooperating with investigators, her lawyer says, in a case involving a man facing federal charges that accuse him of extorting a Lincoln Park restaurant owner.

  Will County treasurer’s office records show Lisa Duarte, the former Pritzker aide, had paid $19,947 in property taxes for a Lemont estate that comprised three adjacent properties that were raided by the FBI in connection with the federal investigation of Jawad Fakroune, records show.

  The tax bills for the $2.5 million estate, where Fakroune lived, went to Duarte at her Lincoln Park condo. They covered one year of property taxes on each of the three properties, which are owned by a trust whose beneficiaries aren’t public.

  She said in a brief interview that she did nothing wrong and that she was a victim of Fakroune, declining to explain more, including how she knows Fakroune or why she was paying the property taxes on the Lemont home, saying of the taxes: “I can’t talk to you about that.

Not only was Duarte connected to Fata$$ (first assistant deputy governor - which is obviously a totally made up ghost payrolling spot), she was an aide to the ol' 9.5 Digit Midget. Her lobbying history includes the Bears, White Sox, Wirtz Corp., United Center and CTA.

But the truly interesting part is who she was paying the property taxes for - Jawad Fakroune - and his connection to a CPD member:

• A Chicago cop is under investigation by police officials over his ties to accused extortionist Jawad Fakroune, a convicted felon and Moroccan national who authorities say posed as a relative of the drug lord Pablo Escobar.

  Fakroune was arrested in January, charged with using threats and violence to shake down the owner of a Lincoln Park restaurant for $1.5 million he said he was owed.

  This month, the officer’s connection to Fakroune surfaced in a court filing in which federal prosecutors asked a judge to keep Fakroune in jail until his trial because they say he’s dangerous and a flight risk.

  According to prosecutors, the officer told the FBI he left guns at a home of Fakroune in the Chicago area. The officer said Fakroune failed to return the guns, which prosecutors said were later seized on Dec. 18 in an FBI raid of a home where Fakroune was staying in Manhattan.

  They said the officer reported the guns stolen, but some information in his report was false.

"False" meaning he lied in an official report and probably to the fbi, too. He hasn't been charged yet, but it certainly looks like the hook is set deep and he'll likely be "un-indicted co-conspirator X" at some point.

If we were cynical observers of Chicago politics, we'd wonder about gun-running, CPD corruption, lobbyists working for Fata$$, Rahm, Chicago spots teams and Moroccan extortionists all being connected somehow, but we're sure it's just a strange set of a dozen coincidences.

It looks like the Slum Times has discovered some long neglected investigative reporter skills.

Coming Soon to Chicago?

Denver is having budget problems - $50 million short last fiscal year, $200 million short next year. Most of this is due to spending on ILLEGAL aliens and falling tax revenues. 

You'll recall that Chicago was staring down the barrel of a $1 billion shortfall and Cook County an additional $200 million, mostly due to the same ILLEGAL alien handouts and falling tax revenues.

Guess how Denver is looking at balancing their budget?

• Denver city leaders are preparing to make "substantial" layoffs in order to deal with a massive budget deficit.

  In May, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced the city was projecting a $50 million budget deficit this year and a $200 million budget deficit next year. Johnston said his administration must consider layoffs to help the city balance next year’s budget.

  “We will have to look at layoffs,” Johnston said. “We do not envision a scenario where it's possible to right-size this budget without that impact on personnel.”

And how is this blue-city $hithole going to accomplish these layoffs?

• City officials said it’s still too early to know how many workers will be laid off. It could depend on whether a proposed personnel rule change is adopted. The city wants to move away from a system that protects workers who have been employed by the city for a long time to a merit-based system.

  Under the current rule, senior employees can “bump” less-tenured employees to avoid being laid off. Kathy Nesbitt, executive director of Denver’s Office of Human Resources, said the current rule causes significant delays in the layoff process. “It also fails to ensure that we have the very best talent,” Nesbitt said.

  The proposed new rule aims to evaluate employees based on four key criteria: performance ratings, skills, abilities, and length of service. Nesbitt said this approach will help the city retain the most talented and capable employees while meeting budget reduction goals. It would also make it easier to lay off senior employees.

"Senior employees" are the ones at the top of the pay scale.

"Merit" means who can suck ass (or other sexual organs) the hardest.

So Contracts and seniority might mean very little - in Denver at least - very shortly. 

And you can bet Conehead and Prickwrinkle will be watching the situation very closely.

Second Offender Charged

He was on parole for another gun charge - his THIRD???

• A man sporting a tattoo across his throat reading “SLIME,” on parole for his third adult gun case, has been charged with possessing yet another firearm in the moments before Chicago Police Officer Krystal Rivera was unintentionally shot and killed by her partner on June 5.

  Jaylin Arnold, 27, was arrested for a parole violation on Thursday by officers from the Chicago Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, CPD said. Arnold had narcotics when he was arrested, according to CPD.

  Further investigation by CPD’s Investigative Response Team revealed that Arnold was armed with a firearm when Chicago cops, including Officer Krystal Rivera, encountered him in the 8200 block of South Drexel around 9:50 p.m. on June 5, police said.

It's far past time to bring a version of Project Exile to Illinois where gun offenders serve hard time in the federal system far from home.

No More Rescues?

One part of us says it's logical. (link from Illinois Review fixed)

The other part wonders, especially as the population ages, more people live alone and not everyone knows their neighbors:

• In a dazzling display of bureaucratic brilliance, the City of Chicago has rolled out a new policy for the Chicago Fire Department that essentially boils down to this: Unless you’re visibly on fire, you’re on your own.
  
  The new general order, effective June 28, 2025, sets a brave new standard for how Chicago responds to residential fires under seven stories tall. Under this policy, firefighters are prohibited from entering a burning building unless there is visual confirmation of someone inside—or if someone radios in to say there might be.
  
  This isn’t satire. This is Chicago.
  
  The directive uses a lot of fancy words like “Defensive Operations,” “incident command,” and “scene size-up,” but the bottom line is crystal clear: if you’re unconscious from smoke inhalation (which, incidentally, is how most people actually die in fires), you better hope you’re unconscious in a window.

Obviously, we don't want firefighters risking their lives needlessly. 

But how do they (or anyone) know what is and isn't needless without first person information gathered on scene directly, promptly and fully?

It's a weird tightrope to walk.

Nine Years, but Zero Time

Ain't Illinois "justice" great?

• A 30-year-old Chicago man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for possessing child pornography after his parole agent caught him engaging in a sexual video call with a 14-year-old girl, court records show.

  In 2022, Julio Rodriguez faced a 20-count child pornography indictment but pleaded guilty to a single count on August 16, 2024, receiving a three-year sentence from Judge Michael Clancy. With a 50% sentence reduction and credit for time on an ankle monitor, Rodriguez served no prison time, entering and exiting Stateville Correctional Center on August 20, 2024.

And then, you'll never guess what happened:

• Less than three months later, on December 5, a parole agent visited Rodriguez’s halfway house in the 8100 block of South Cottage Grove after he failed to report his living arrangements as required. The agent found Rodriguez with his pants down, performing a sex act while on a video call with a young girl, prosecutors claimed. Rodriguez dropped his phone, revealing the girl’s screen name to the agent before she ended the call.

This time, he caught a nine-year sentence. But if he had been inside on the previous sentence instead of "serving" ankle monitor time, he wouldn't have been able to commit further crimes.

Don't Confront

Instead, snipe from cover:

• Car burglars fired at least 30 shots at a 27-year-old man who confronted them during a vehicle break-in in the South Loop early Friday morning. This marks the third time this week that an auto break-in in the city has escalated to gunfire.

  At approximately 3:13 a.m., the man confronted four suspects breaking into his car in the 2000 block of South Wabash, according to Chicago police. At least two of the burglars drew firearms and opened fire, striking the man in the back as he fled toward his home. A nearby storefront’s glass was also damaged by a bullet.

  The victim was reported in good condition at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The suspects escaped and remain at large.

  Armed burglary teams are a growing problem in Chicago, where thefts that are often considered “nuisance crimes” are increasingly turning violent.

  On Saturday night, a 57-year-old man was shot in the leg by a car burglar he confronted in the 5800 block of West Cornelia in Portage Park, police said.

  Then, on Monday morning, thieves fired at a contractor who attempted to stop them from stealing tools from his work vehicle in the 6800 block of North Seeley. The contractor was unharmed. Last week, a social media video showed a crew of masked and armed thieves targeting a work truck in Portage Park.

If at all possible, people should clear out their garages and park one of their cars in a secure, locked location.

If you discover a theft in progress, do not exit the house to confront an offender. Instead, fire your home defense weapon out a barely opened window while crouched down low. A rifle would work best in terms of accuracy, but a shotgun loaded with slugs would be as good. Handguns are an iffy proposition in these types of events. In any cases, the spent brass would land in your house, leaving less to investigate.

If it's a catalytic converter thief, try for the lookout first....or the getaway driver. Those are the ones who might shoot back. The one with the sawzall can then be dispatched at your leisure. Note: a sawzall can be easily mistaken for a short barreled rifle.

Don't answer the door if police arrive. Make sure the lights are off and you close the window you were firing out of. Collect any brass or shotgun hulls that should have landed inside your house and hide them well. Dispose of them far from home after a few days. Don't worry about ShotSpotter - Conehead turned it off.

Be sure to file a police report for any damage to your vehicle and advise neighbors to do the same. Express amazement that crime could happen in your neighborhood and isn't it a shame that things have devolved this badly under one hundred years of democrats. You didn't hear anything or see anything and exercise that Right to remain completely silent. 

Word will get around eventually that your block is a dangerous location for thefts. Someone shot will make it get around faster. 

UPDATE: oh yeah, beware of ring doorbell cams. 

What Did We Tell You?

This is why you don't hang your hat on a single weekend of statistics:

• Several investigations are underway on Friday morning as officers look to piece together what led up to eight separate shootings that unfolded around the city overnight.

  Chicago police say between 7 p.m. Thursday and 3 a.m. Friday, nine people were injured and oner person was killed in eight separate incidents.

  Authorities said while investigations are ongoing, no arrests have been made in connection with any of the incidents.

And that was a single warm Thursday night.

Any bets on the weekend? 1700 hours Friday through 0500 Sunday (60 hours):

• daylight temps of 90+
• heat indexes of 100+
• warm nights of 75+ 
• no rain
• no days off cancelled, so regular staffing

Six and fifteen doesn't sound out of the realm of possibility. 

Don't Forget the Body Cams

A post in The Contrarian the other day and it mostly convinces us that Vallas is running for something despite his continued denials:

• It’s time for the U.S. Department of Justice to place the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) under a federal consent decree. Only through a consent decree can the barriers erected by the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and its political allies — barriers that systematically deny poor children, overwhelmingly Black and Latino, their right to a quality education, be dismantled. The objective of a consent decree is clear: To ensure that education funding follows the student, families have meaningful school choices, and local leaders have the freedom to adopt the best models for their communities.

  CPS has devolved into a government-sanctioned system of educational apartheid in which poor children, overwhelmingly Black and Latino are, a deliberately and consciously denied a quality education. The CTU’s opposition to reforms that might threaten its power or reduce its membership has had devastating effects. The CTU’s efforts to block poor families from accessing better-performing, publicly funded alternatives to failing schools are discriminatory — if not in intent, then unquestionably in outcome.

He makes all the arguments we have been making for years now, along with many of our readers and anyone who has dealt with the CPS in any capacity. They aren't here to educate children (if they ever were), they're here to launder money for the Machine and the national party. 

You should read it all regardless, so you recognize it at a later date.

We suppose the guy has to make a living somehow, but we have a difficult time believing that if he was actually in charge of anything here, he'd agree to any form of oversight from a Republican administration in Washington DC.

And don't forget, any "consent decree" should involve body cameras and classroom cameras so that (A) parents can observe the indoctrination being drilled into tiny skulls and (B) the constant grooming and sex assaulting can be documented and prosecuted by someone someday. 

Look Who's Back

The Choppa!

• Chicago cops, some on the ground and others in a helicopter, teamed up to arrest four suspects following a series of robberies reported Wednesday evening between the West Loop and Hyde Park. Detectives are now investigating how many of the crimes the group may be responsible for.

  Starting around 9:15 p.m., at least 11 robberies involving 14 or more victims were reported before police apprehended the suspects more than two hours later.

  [...] About ten minutes after the Blackstone robbery, a CPD ground unit spotted a black Mitsubishi that had been seen near several robbery locations. A nearby CPD helicopter crew immediately began tracking the vehicle, which fled from police.

So is the Department up to a single helicopter now? Did they finally approve funds to bring it back to FAA specs or what?

Weekend Preview?

A string of 90 degree days, with the heat index topping 100 each day on tap for this weekend. Was Tuesday a warning sign?

• Chicago police arrested five people, including three juveniles, as a large crowd leaving North Avenue Beach moved through Old Town and Lincoln Park on Tuesday night, according to a CPD spokesperson.

  Police commanders deployed two saturation teams and tactical units from six of the city’s 22 CPD districts to manage the crowd, a source reported.

  Approximately 200 people, most appearing to be in their teens or early 20s, began leaving the beach via LaSalle Drive and the North Avenue pedestrian underpass shortly before 10 p.m. Minutes later, a CPD supervisor requested additional patrol cars to help with the crowd at North Avenue and Clark Street, leading to two swift arrests.

Where's McCompstat to tell Conehead to close the beaches because it's just too damn hot? Remember, weather doesn't have anything to do with crime. 

Keep an eye on the CWB blog for weekend beach and downtown updates. 

Still a Dumb Idea

A rumor from the Academy. Not the one about no new hiring until November - that one was confirmed as true.

Someone reported that all the recruits have been put into either a Friday/Saturday or Sunday/Monday day off group. The reasoning being that (as in years past) they can use the recruits as manpower for parades and special events without paying them overtime.

If we recall correctly, recruits are only granted Time Due, not cash and it's all hour-for-hour, no time-and-one half.

We also seem to remember that these kids aren't in full uniform and aren't carrying cuffs, batons, OC, Tasers or (of course) guns. They are essentially just unarmed traffic aides that someone might mistake for the police because they'll be wearing those yellow vests that say "Police" on them.

We always thought this was a dumb idea, and given the state of society and the target drawn on police by the political class, it would seem to be a really dumb idea nowadays. 

And speaking of the "no new hiring" going on, who has the retirement numbers for the past month? Or for the year to date? Supposedly this will be the biggest retirement year for the past twenty years or more. 

Suburban Takeover

Happening again....and again:

• After Naperville police allegedly found a 14-year-old carrying a loaded, semiautomatic pistol at a downtown “teen takeover” event last weekend, authorities are urging safety and, again, stressed they have zero tolerance for illicit behavior.

  “While we encourage everyone to exercise their first amendment right and we encourage everyone to enjoy what the downtown provides, we need everyone to do that lawfully,” Naperville police Cmdr. Rick Krakow said. “There’s going to be zero tolerance for any sort of criminal behavior, from trespassing to disorderly conduct to fighting.”

  Since May 1, there have been seven planned teen takeover events in Naperville, each with varying degrees of participation, Krakow said.

  The latest, held Saturday, resulted in five arrests, including that of the 14-year-old, who was charged with one count of unlawful possession of a weapon, authorities said. Charges in other arrests included disorderly conduct and battery, Krakow said, adding that he had no reports of injuries from the incidents.

Crime is mobile and always seems to pop up where the criminals know they won't be hassled, or at least hassled less. Naperville is ground-zero for the lib-tarded takeover of formerly tough-on-crime DuPage county, so (A) we can't say we're surprised and (B) we have a difficult time generating any sympathetic feelings. 

This Idiot is Still Around

And still the upstanding law abiding citizen we all know him to be:

• A Chicago man who gained notoriety for riding a horse on the Dan Ryan Expressway was charged with setting up an illegal bar and strip club in Calumet Township.

  Adam Hollingsworth, 37, is charged with maintaining a common nuisance, a Level 6 felony, and misdemeanor selling alcohol without a permit, according to the probable cause affidavit.

  [...]  In searching its records, the Indiana Alcohol Tobacco Commission found no evidence indicating the address had a valid alcohol license or had a valid permit to sell tobacco products, records state. As of June 16, there are no signs of Hollingsworth applying for a license or permit.

At least he's only abusing livers now instead of horses. 

Save Big Money at Menards!

From a reader:

• I was at Menards in Hanover Park, buying some lumber for a job. I began talking to one of the managers, and I noticed that he was wearing a police style taser in a holster on his belt, very similar to the Chicago Police tasers. I asked him if he was a policeman, and he stated no.  I asked why he was wearing a taser. He explained to me that Menard's policy is to tease “run outs.” A run out is the term they use for people who grab merchandise and run out of the store. Later, I was in the Menard’s in Morton Grove and asked the manager about the tasers and was told that yes, managers wear tasers. Finally, it's nice to hear about a retailer fed up with theft and taking serious action to combat it.

Hardware shopping just got a lot more interesting, at least in the suburbs (which is where we try to do all our shopping anyway). It also fits in with our years-long personal boycott of Home Depot which supports a number of political positions that we object to.

It's good to see businesses taking a proactive approach to stopping crime as the police statewide have been restricted from actually enforcing laws. Hopefully, after a tasering, we see them follow up in court to fully prosecute criminals.

UPDATE: for those asking, in 2022, Home Depot partnered with the far-left Human Rights Campaign to provide trans-materials to grade school aged children. Remember, kids can't drink, can't smoke, can't vote, can't get tattoos, but lefties think they can make life changing decisions that permanently alter their bodies - all without parental input and actively hidden by educators. 

We haven't shopped there since.

Catanzara is Correct

It might be a losing battle, but it needs to be out there:

• The yearslong battle over how to handle the Chicago Police Department’s most serious misconduct cases continued Tuesday with attorneys for the city’s largest police union urging an appellate court panel to overturn a ruling requiring disciplinary hearings to be held in public.

  The fight over police discipline erupted during union contract negotiations and stretched from the City Council floor to the courtroom of Cook County Judge Michael Mullen, who ruled that cops can choose to have their cases heard by an arbitrator instead of the Chicago Police Board.

  But Mullen also found that arbitration shouldn’t be held behind closed doors, pushing the union to appeal.

The main objection from the FOP:

• Leaving court Tuesday, FOP President John Catanzara said the city only wants hearings held publicly “to make it a circus and to intimidate the arbitrator.”

Of course. Historical precedent, cemented in Contractual language, is a big hurdle to leap. It requires both parties to come to the table an ::gasp:: negotiate any changes....Party A asks/gives something, Party B asks/gives something in return.

The city, run by democrats for a century now, routinely ignore Contract protections and then dare the other party to sue them, knowing that they control the Courts, appoint the judges and direct where the political donations go. If they can squeeze a few extra votes out of the low-information masses, they can further secure the one-party rule that has locked Chicago into an ever accelerating doom loop.

And just to make sure they have plenty of low-information voters around, they ruin the schools so badly that 90% can't read at grade level, do math, or be bothered to research what Machine politico is connected to which other organization.

So it's correct to fight, even if the deck is marked and stacked against the FOP, if only to be able to say, "We told you so" years down the road. 

"Snap Curfew" Vote

The City Council gives Larritorious the power he says he never asked for:

• The City Council on Wednesday narrowly approved a plan to empower Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling to issue curfews anytime, anywhere in the city, with 30 minutes’ notice.

  The Council voted 27-22 to pass the measure.

Flood warnings were issued as plaintiff lawyers across the city immediately started salivating at the millions of dollars headed their way. And then, it ended:

• Mayor Brandon Johnson intends to use his veto power to strike down a controversial ‘snap’ curfew ordinance the City Council approved Wednesday, a mayoral aide tells WGN.

  The council needed 34 votes to make the ordinance, intended to control “teen takeovers” and give Chicago police officers another option for handling unaccompanied minors, veto proof. The vote was 27-22.

This made us chuckle at the absurdity:

• ....Johnson believes investing in summer jobs for teens would be the better solution, and some alders and community groups have also expressed deep concern that a “snap” curfew ordinance, if implemented, would unfairly impact mostly [b]lack and brown kids.

Why would the ordinance impact mostly black and brown kids? Are they being driven downtown in buses and forced out into the streets, taking over intersections, attacking tourists, breaking windows and looting businesses?

Or are they the ones doing the criminal acts?

We're so confused. 

Cops Injured

Traffic crash of course:

• Two Chicago police officers and one civilian suffered minor injuries after they collided while police were responding to a call in Woodlawn early Wednesday, police said.

  Around 1 a.m., the officers were responding to a call heading north in the 6600 block of South Cottage Grove with their car’s lights and sirens on when it collided with a green sedan, according to Chicago police.

  The two officers suffered minor injuries and were taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital. Both were listed in good condition.

Speedy recovery Officers.

Embarrassing

So is this because hiring standards are so low or because the Academy doesn't remind everyone about professional behavior - on and off duty?

• A Chicago police officer is stealing the internet’s spotlight after a Florida sheriff roasted him—and his mugshot—in a series of sassy social media posts Tuesday morning.

  “Had you not battered the security officer at Westgate River Ranch Resort and Rodeo we might have never met,” the Polk County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a post accompanying Sheriff Grady Judd’s video. “And now look at us – totally acquainted.”

  According to Judd, CPD Officer Dwayne Ocasio and a group of Ocasio’s friends were standing around a golf cart in the middle of the road on Friday. So, a security guard for the resort and rodeo “politely” asked them to move out of the road, said Judd. “You know what this guy did?” asked Judd. “He cussed the security guard. Used a racial slur. That’s right. And then pushed the security guard.”

It gets stupider from there. 

While we're not big fans of the humiliation aspect of the incident, respect is supposed to run both ways in the police business. In this case, it didn't, and once that boundary is breached, bad things happen.

And one of the biggest lessons we remember being taught is "The on-duty Officer is always in charge." You do not disrespect, threaten, ignore lawful orders given by any cop on scene. You don't know what the cops have been told, you don't know the OEMC information dispatched, you are not in the loop - you are off-duty. You might get professional courtesy if the situation warrants it, but until that time, butt out.

If you want to disagree, there's an administrative procedure in place, same as any citizen can use. But you don't throw your weight around, especially in a foreign jurisdiction. The sheriff may have been a dick, but he's the dick in charge....and you're far from home. 

Sparklefarts the Moron

Of the three most useless presidents in US History (Biden, Sparklefarts, Carter) this a$$hole is in a category all by himself:

• Former President [Sparklefarts] a warned on Tuesday the current political climate isn’t “consistent” with American democracy.

  “It is consistent with autocracies,” [Sparklefarts] told a crowd in Hartford, Connecticut, where he spoke about the growing threat posed under the Trump administration, according to Connecticut Public Radio. 

  “We’re not there yet completely, but I think that we are dangerously close to normalizing behavior like that,” he added. 

Flashback!!! The year is 2014:

• Before meeting with his Cabinet Tuesday, [Sparklefarts] said he planned to speak to top administration officials about “how to use all the tools” at the administration's disposal to promote ways to maintain the economic recovery.

  "One of the things that I will be emphasizing in this meeting is the fact that we are not just going to be waiting for legislation in order to make sure that we are providing Americans the kind of help that they need," he said. "I’ve got a pen, and I’ve got a phone."

Gee, that sounds kind of.....autocratic, doesn't it? Almost like how a king would behave. 

But now he's upset that someone he doesn't approve of is using the methods he created and championed to run his own administration. And the media continues to run interference for this failed anti-American scumbag, memory-holing his autocratic tendencies and counting on the geezer boomers to follow along with the tune they're manufacturing.

What's This?

Crime is down? Nationally?

• Murder rates are plummeting. While we still have more than half a year to go, Kash Patel, the FBI’s director, says that the U.S. is on track to have the lowest murder rate ever. The current record low occurred in 2014 when the FBI reported a murder rate of 4.45 per 100,000.

  The question is: why? Law enforcement matters, but it is probably also that Trump is deporting criminal illegal aliens.

  According to Patel, “Let good cops be cops,” is the answer. “I’m gonna let you, the agents, the police officers, the sheriffs, go out there and do the work you so badly want to do. And I’m gonna give you the resources you need to do it. And I’m gonna take away the politicization and weaponization … and that’s what we’ve done.”

Golly, who would have thunk it?

It seems that you CAN arrest, enforce and deport your way out of a crime situation. We just needed an Administration willing to do it.

Conehead the Racist Turd

Once again, attempting to buy support (with taxpayer dollars) from the black community that has rejected his divisive rhetoric over the past two years:

• Chicago’s self-professed “progressive” Democrat mayor, Brandon Johnson, announced a new task force to study plans to dole out slavery reparations to the city’s black community, even as Johnson struggles with low approval ratings.

  Desperate to find his way out of his low approvals, Johnson announced the new task force during his Juneteenth address. The committee is reportedly being funded by the $500,000 dollars set aside for the purpose in the recent budget negotiations, WFLD-TV reported.

  The divisive mayor insisted that “investing in blacks is not a crime.”

No, it's not.

However, using skin color as the sole determining factor in awarding government money for whatever reason (contracts, promotions, "reparations") IS actually illegal.

Anyone accepting this money will be on the hook for it being repaid once the Courts step in. And hopefully, Conehead is getting closer to that federal prison sentence he seems to so desperately be craving. 

And speaking of spending taxpayer money on illegal efforts, this popped up in the news today:

• Democrat-run Chicago, Illinois, suspended a website that allows people, no matter their immigration status, to obtain local government-issued IDs, after being subpoenaed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

  The news comes after illegal aliens were set to be permitted to apply for a driver’s license in the state, Breitbart News reported in June 2024.

  According to Fox News, Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia suspended the CityKey ID application website once the federal agency let her office know it wanted information on applicants, the outlet reported Tuesday.

The great thing about having morons in charge of local government is that in their efforts to simplify and automate so much of their law breaking (in the service of ILLEGAL aliens), they created a list of ILLEGAL aliens names, addresses, phone numbers and family members, along with other information in a single database....that the DoJ, Customs and ICE can just subpoena and comb through looking for detention and deportation targets.

PICA Act Unconstitutional?

Movement from the DoJ setting the stage for Illinois citizens to enjoy their Second Amendment Rights in the near future.

First is a video from our old friend Todd Vandermyde over at Freedom's Steel:

 

And second is a step-by-step breakdown of the Amicus brief from Washington Gun Law's William Kirk:

This is quite a significant development as the DoJ seldom inserts itself into cases at the Circuit level, preferring to wait for the US Supreme Court to step in....unless the case is so egregious in nature that immediate action is required to safeguard an enumerated Right.

Should be quite the battle. 

The Thing That "Never Happened...."

 .....looks like it happened again:

• There’s been a new, disturbing development in the case of the Chinese plot to interfere in the 2020 election. 

  As PJ Media previously reported, on Monday, FBI Director Kash Patel handed Congress an intelligence report exposing a Chinese plot to interfere in the 2020 election. The report details how Chinese operatives mass-produced fake U.S. driver’s licenses to flood the system with fraudulent mail-in ballots, which helped Joe Biden in the process. However, the intel wasn’t investigated, corroborated, or acted on. In fact, it was quietly pulled from intelligence agencies even as then-FBI Director Chris Wray told Congress there were “no known plots” of foreign interference. 

  Pretty bad, right? It gets worse. The report was sent out on Aug. 24, 2020, but was abruptly recalled by the FBI with a vague excuse about needing to “re-interview” the source. But it didn’t stop there. The bureau didn’t just recall the report; it ordered its destruction.

"most secure election in history" remember? 

We have advocated for the disbandment of the feebs and this just cements our distrust. Patel has made some good moves, ameliorating some of our distrust issues, but there's pretty much only one thing that will completely restore confidence in this thoroughly corrupt organization:

• prison sentences for Wray and James Comey

Prison....or "83" or "89" or "72" both of them. We (just like Comey) have no idea what these random numbers mean. We just saw it on the beach the other day and thought it was a cute little arrangement of seashells. 

 

Funeral Info

From the comment section - we haven't seen anything public yet

Officer Rivera’s funeral info:

• Visitation Tues 24 Jun 25 at Montclair-Lucania Funeral Home 6901 W Belmont Ave.

  Private visitation 1200 - 1400hrs

  Public visitation 1400 - 2000hrs - St Jude at 1900 hrs.

  Funeral service Wed 25 Jun 25 at Living Word Christian Center, 7600 Roosevelt Rd. Forest Park, Il 60130 with services starting at noon.

  Interment is private.

Godspeed Officer.

No Tasers Issued?

Anyone know why the Department didn't issue Tasers to Cancelled Day Off officers deployed to PR Fest?

Was the Department going to take full responsibility (and attached liability) for sending Officers into the field without the required equipment, seeing as how they spent how many millions ensuring that EVERY SINGLE OFFICER had a Taser available for their shift....

AND

....the Inspection Division was fully on board with gigging every Officer who didn't have a Taser on their belt for the past number of years?

New York Chaos

The political scumbags have lost their minds:

• State Attorney General Letitia James is conducting a misconduct probe of a New York local law enforcement agency helping the Trump administration crack down on illegal immigration, The Post has learned.

  The AG’s office asked Oswego County Sheriff Don Hilton for documents outlining any cooperation between local law enforcement officials and federal agencies, including Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security.

  A letter from the office asked Oswego County Sheriff Don Hilton to turn over any agreements between the office and any federal agency “concerning the enforcement of federal immigration law” – and it also asks for documentation about cops receiving training on enforcing federal immigration.

  The letter cited a section of state law on official misconduct — and asked for any training on immigration enforcement and a list of all traffic stops involving the office.

So when Letitia isn't busy inventing felonies and ignoring statutes of limitation, while she herself is lying on mortgage applications and swindling taxpayers out of tens of thousands of dollars, she's busy trying to drum up Official Misconduct charges on New York cops for assisting federal agencies in enforcing National Law.

Remember who the democrats are siding with. It's going to be important moving forward.

Deferred Comp Issue?

A friend writes to us:

• For a couple months now, my outside brokerage account has not been syncing with my Chicago Deferred Comp Account. My broker was able to view it (unable to make changes) and advise me on it. However, it hasn’t updated and now this appears:

  Someone told me that the City still has some interest in our 457(b)’s and that we do not actually “own it” until we retire and either withdraw or transfer the funds. I haven’t been able to confirm that but I would not put it past the City.

This is unverified rumor at the moment. Is anyone else experiencing issues with the Nationwide site? We'll be some calls tomorrow.

Captain Assignments

Meet the new bosses:

• Courtney - 014
  
  Edwards - 002
  
  Murphy - 024
  
  Perez - 018
  
  Clark - 022
  
  Koenig - 017

We knew one of these guys back in the day and he was a pretty damn good cop. Hopefully, he didn't change.

Robot Message from Larry

Larritorious sent out a Father's Day greeting to everyone this weekend....after cancelling all their days off and screwing up family plans with minimal notice (click for larger version):

All well and good if you want to pretend you actually care about the Officers - a little personal touch might alleviate the hurt feelings.

Except, if you run the message through an AI detector program, guess who actually wrote the message?

 

 

So that message that was supposed to make you feel better about having to miss your RDO with the children was almost 100% written by a robot who doesn't really give a rat's ass about you, your kids or your families. 

Protests Trigger Safety Issues

Something the mainstream media won't cover....but The Contrarian X account will:

• If you don't think there are consequences to protests in Chicago, listen to CFD radio traffic.
  
  
  Fire Companies were unable to respond to downtown emergencies due to protests. CFD were forced to proceeded to calls on foot.
  
  
  This is an outrage.

We have trouble linking twitter accounts, but hopefully, someone's grandma wasn't have a heart attack and CFD couldn't get to her.

Lucky there wasn't a political assassination attempt either.

Blue Violence

Here's two-and-a-half minutes of democrats calling for political violence:

• Twitter Link

Anyone collecting the Conehead and Fata$$ quotes this past week? 

And don't worry - if it turns out we were mistaken in our initial assessment of the Minnesota assassin's political leanings, we'll be sure to follow the lead of the mainstream media:

• first, we'll ignore it;
• we'll leave the post up without correction; 
• then we'll write something in a week or two with no reference to the original post 

That's how the New York Times does it. We wouldn't want to be less trustworthy than the New York Times, would we? We didn't make the rules, but we're willing to follow them to the letter just like they do.

Blue on Blue Violence

If you are paying attention, 90%-plus of the political violence in the country comes from the left. Yesterday was no exception:

• A Minnesota state representative and her husband were shot and killed, and a state senator and his wife were shot and wounded in an "act of targeted political violence" at their homes early Saturday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said.

  A manhunt is now underway for the gunman who authorities said was impersonating a police officer. Authorities said they've identified 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter as a suspect.

The shooter was appointed to a political post by the previous governor (a democrat) and re-appointed by the current governor (another democrat). He had posters in his car for the marches today.

So why shoot fellow democrats? Well, it seems both of them voted with Republicans last week to deny medical coverage to illegal aliens, saving Minnesota taxpayers millions of dollars. 

You can't have democrats voting contrary to the party line and actually supporting policies that their constituents want. That might lead to actual democracy and would spell DOOM for the party that opposes "kings"....after they ran a presidential candidate who received exactly zero primary votes.

Oh, and the Minnesota authorities said they wouldn't be releasing the "manifesto" they found in the shooters car, and everyone knows what that means. 

Remember, Porky and Conehead and dozens of other democrats have been advocating violence, directly and indirectly, for months now, forgetting that the knife cuts both ways, more so among the party with the vast majority of mentally ill followers.

Slow Chase

From an e-mailer:

• Police in South Carolina engaged in a not-so-hot pursuit as they chased a tractor excavator down a main highway for more than an hour at the speed an average adult walks.

  The chase reached speeds of 3 mph (4.8 kph) early Sunday morning in North Charleston, police said.

  Officers on a different call saw the big piece of construction equipment with treads and a shovel in front go across U.S. Highway 78 around 3:30 a.m., North Charleston Police wrote in their report.

  A few minutes later, they got a burglary call from a business that was heavily damaged and saw the excavator slowly heading away, police said.

Lucky it wasn't Killdozer II.

In the meantime, just assume CPD would have terminated this chase five or six times over. 

Open Post for Sunday

 Vote democrat for more!

They hate American citizens, especially those who can think for themselves.

Stop Giving Them Your Money

Barely a week since an Officer was tragically killed, and this is what happens when you order a cup of coffee at one of the downtown Starbucks:

Why anyone would order from Starbucks, we have no idea. They're based out of police-hater central.

And any cop trusting a beverage that got served to them like this is insane. 

Stay Safe Today

Remember, these are paid "protestors."

And they are infiltrated with paid agitators and provocateurs. 

They want confrontation for publicity....and a payout. 

Don't get drawn into something stupid.

Conehead is cancelling your days off to put you in the middle of it all.

Seven is a Lucky Number, Right?

Mike really irritated the judge. He was unrepentant and pretty much insisted he was innocent of all charges....right up until the point the judge told him that he (the judge) didn't have to follow the sentencing recommendation of 12.5 years - the max allowable was 105 years:

• Former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, the country’s longest-serving state House leader, has been sentenced to 7½ years in prison and a $2.5 million fine on corruption convictions. The 83-year-old will be expected to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons on Oct. 13.

There was also a $2.5 million fine, a fraction of his net worth of $50 million.

So now Mike has four months to either develop an incurable disease, flee the country or try to figure out how to be Burke's bunkmate for a couple years.

The ACLU is Sad

A man has got to know his limitations:

• Police Supt. Larry Snelling told a federal judge this week that he would “never use” the “snap curfew” power that some Chicago City Council members are pushing to give him.

  Speaking at a hearing on the city’s court-mandated police reform efforts, Snelling said the controversial tool is “not something that I asked for or that I need.”

  Snelling’s comments, reported in a court transcript, represent the top cop’s most blunt assessment of the ordinance being pitched by some council members as a solution to violent teen takeovers.

  At the regularly scheduled hearing, young people involved in monitoring the federal consent decree spoke out against a proposal the council is expected to vote on next week that would give Snelling the power to implement a curfew with just a 30-minute warning anytime throughout the city.

  Snelling said he is against that particular 30-minute provision as well.

So Larritorious is insisting that this power is something he never asked for, and he'd never use it. 

Or someone explained to him exactly how he was being set up to spend the next ten years in various Federal courtrooms being deposed over and over and over - and NOT as a Use of Force expert. Not the best way to spend your retirement.

Riot Preparation?

Not the CPD though....the other side:

• Weapons Stash Discovered Near Planned Protest Site Raises Alarms Over Saturday Demonstration
  
  
  By John Kugler | SubX.News | 
  June 12, 2025 – 12:30 am
  
  
  Chicago police officers made a disturbing discovery Wednesday night near the site of a planned protest: a hidden weapons cache containing items that could be used to incite riots, including pipes, rocks, umbrellas, gasoline, and what appeared to be a Molotov cocktail.
  
  
  According to multiple reports—including verified scanner traffic and real-time updates from credible police-monitoring Twitter accounts—officers with CPD's foot patrol unit uncovered the stash near Monroe Drive and Lake Shore Drive, in a park area close to mile marker 350.
  
  
  “I’m here with foot patrol near mile marker 350,” one officer can be heard saying in radio audio. “We’re just looking in this park area. We found a possible Molotov cocktail and some other items that could be used during the protest. Just hold us down over here...”
  
  
  This discovery was first reported at 10:26 PM by @ChicagoContrar1, and later confirmed by live scanner updates shared by @CPD1617Scanner at 10:33 PM, noting that the information was “bonafide” and “incredibly dangerous.” 

We know for a fact that there are at least half-a-dozen cameras covering that stretch and some of the more talented SDSC people can link those cameras back to continuous coverage of nearby roads and paths covering miles of vehicle and pedestrian traffic movement, hours at a time.

So are we going to get descriptions of persons and vehicles that may have dropped off these materials? Especially after this story leaked out:

• In a surprising turn of events, the California Democratic Party has found itself embroiled in controversy following revelations from its May 2025 expense report. A significant expenditure highlighted in the report has raised eyebrows and sparked outrage among constituents, particularly during a time when the city of Los Angeles is grappling with intense protests regarding social justice and police reform.

  The focal point of the scrutiny is a notable purchase of bricks made by the California Democratic Party. The decision to acquire these bricks has prompted questions about the party’s priorities and its commitment to addressing the urgent needs of its constituents. Many residents and activists are asking why the party allocated funds for such an unusual item, especially amidst ongoing protests advocating for systemic change.

When confronted, the party leaders said the bricks were for a future construction project. When pressed "What project?" they had no answers. Bricks are usually acquired by the thousands by General Contractors, not party leaders, and certainly not a couple pallets at a time.

So it's kind of obvious the California dem party is buying bricks for rioters to assault federal officers, LAPD, CHP and county sheriffs. Who's to say that isn't happening here also?

Ignorant Dumbass Conehead

Remember, this guy supposedly taught children:

• Chicago’s radical, progressive, Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson told the media on Wednesday that the Trump administration is “what our country would look like had the Confederacy won.”

  The race-obsessed, left-wing mayor railed against the Trump administration after hundreds of protesters flooded the streets of the Windy City in opposition to the president’s lawful immigration enforcement policies. Johnson by turns called Trump a “terrorist” and a “racist” in his comments to the press.

  The mayor with the single worst approval rating in the entire country also reminded the media that he recently said that Trump’s immigration policy is “what terrorism looks like.”

Leaving aside the fact that enforcing the Border Laws of the country is solely a FEDERAL function (as argued and won by Sparklefarts in Arizona v United States) Conehead the Dumbass seems to forget exactly who won the Civil War:

• Lincoln was a ::gasp!:: Republican;
• Jefferson Davis represented Mississippi as a pro-slavery democrat;
• The North (Republican) defeated the South (democrat) thus ending slavery

Pretty much all of the ensuing Civil Rights legislation following the War was introduced and passed by Republicans, in direct defiance of the Dixie-crats (champions of Jim Crow).

And it was Eisenhower, another Republican, who federalized the National Guard and authorized the 101st Airborne to integrate schools when a democrat governor wouldn't let black students in.

But Conehead claims Trump represents Confederate ideas and policies?

How dumb can you get?

Well, we guess he won an election, so there are a bunch of dumber people out there. 

Join the Police - for Free!

We don't mean it's free to join - we mean you'll be working for free!

• A new class of Chicago police recruits has not been paid since they were hired nearly a month ago, their union told NBC Chicago.

  The class of officers, more than 50 in all, has continued their training without pay according to Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara, but at least one has said they are considering leaving the force that they so recently joined.

  The recruits were hired on May 16, according to the union.

People forget that joining isn't exactly free. You have to quit your previous job, and if you're police, you give them two weeks notice.

then you arrive at the Academy and they give you a list of things you have to buy - uniform(s), gym clothes, gun, equipment, dress uniforms (summer and winter). And you have to buy all this from approved vendors, who aren't charging market prices - they're over-charging a tiny little bit. 

All-in-all to join up, you're out-of-pocket a few thousand dollars before you start to see paychecks from the City. Depending on what part of the month you got hired, it could be three weeks. These kids appear to have fallen into that three week gap.

It's also unfortunate that these recruits came on just before a Line of Duty death where they will be utilized as window dressing for an Honors Funeral. That means a full summer uniform in short order and money might be a bit tight, especially after a missed paycheck.

It's one of those things, but it will give the new kids some immediate insight into how much the Department actually cares about you....and that ain't much.

CFD Injured on Vacation

Lucky to be alive actually:

• Paralyzed ten days ago in the middle of a San Francisco triathlon, injured Chicago firefighter Jose Perez is beginning the battle back after multiple surgeries.

  Perez was on the West Coast for the June 1 Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon when he launched himself off a boat, and a freak collision left him face down in the waters near the Golden Gate Bridge.

  “I just felt a big boom,” Perez said. “[I] just hit the back of my head.”

  Perez described the moment over Zoom from his San Francisco hospital bed. Another triathlon swimmer landed on top of him, leaving him paralyzed.

This entire incident sounds like gross negligence on the part of the race organizers - they motored the contestants out into the Bay and then had everyone pile off the boat in an uncontrolled wave, with no separation or metering, and of course, this happened.

He's doing better and has regained some function in his limbs after a spinal procedure, but he's got a year or more of physical therapy ahead of him. No one knows if he'll ever return to full duty.

GoFundMe link here. Best wishes for a complication-free recovery. 

Here a Tax, There a Tax

Gamblers beware:

• FanDuel announced plans Tuesday to slap a $0.50 transaction fee on every online wager placed in Illinois, an additional juice that the sports betting behemoth says it has to squeeze because state lawmakers are saddling sportsbooks with a new tax on every bet they take.

  Legislators who signed off on the first-of-its-kind per-wager tax to help bridge a $1 billion state budget gap say big gambling corporations like DraftKings can afford another dent in their profit margins.

  But after sweeping sports betting tax hikes last year, leaders of the booming industry claim the one-two taxing punch will lead to worse odds — and drive bettors to the black market.

There's a tipping point, where the cost to RUN a business doesn't work out with the cost of DOING business. It's a balancing act.

There are tiny brains who will insist that even if a business is making a single penny in profit, then they will continue to do business....and they ought to be taxed that extra penny. But the fact is, they'll just move their business over the border to someplace that taxes them less, increases their bottom line for shareholders, and expand into untapped markets with friendlier business climates.

We already do most of our food shopping in the suburbs, we fill up the car in another county (remember - gas tax goes up from forty-seven cents on 01 July!), larger appliance purchases are made out-of-state and we're looking into transferring our friends and family cell service to a cabin in the woods.

If there isn't one already, someone will create a work-around in the electronic betting industry. 

Pepperidge Farm Remembers

Remember when CPD used to park squad cars in a reasonably secure location and then assign a couple of Canine Units to patrol the lots so as to prevent vandalism?

Additionally, an unknown number of001 District squad cars suffered slashed tires, broken windows and outside mirrors removed. Given the pool car situation the past few years, are Officers relegated to foot patrol and bus routes? 

Quite the Hypocrisy

Look who got arrested in Los Angeles the other day:

• Authorities released labor leader David Huerta on bond this week, days after his arrest for allegedly obstructing federal officers while protesting an immigration raid in Los Angeles.

  Huerta, the 58-year-old California president of the Service Employees International Union, one of the nation’s largest labor unions, said he remains focused on immigrants detained in LA.

  An advocate for workers and immigrants in Southern California for decades, Huerta has become a flashpoint in an ongoing standoff between federal immigration enforcement officers and protesters.

Remember, these protests aren't about immigrants - they're about ILLEGAL immigrants.

And the head of one of the largest labor unions in the nation is advocating for ILLEGAL aliens who would then be in direct competition for lower-skilled jobs that many LEGAL immigrants want, need and came here LEGALLY to fill.

ILLEGAL aliens drive down wages and drive up housing costs, completely at odds with what a union typically advocates for. 

Kind of makes you wonder why any LEGAL immigrant would support these communists, but hey, vote democrat for more!

Exceptionally Cleared / Closed

Spectacular news out of Humboldt Park:

• A 36-year-old concealed carry permit holder shot and killed an alleged armed robber in Chicago’s Humboldt Park late Tuesday night. CWB Chicago noted the alleged armed robber was 18-years-old and is suspected of being tied to a number of robberies that occurred in the minutes prior to his being shot.

  In one of those encounters “a gunman robbed a man near the corner of Fulton and Kilpatrick in Austin and drove off with the victim’s gray 2025 Toyota Corolla.” In another, “two women were robbed at gunpoint in the 2500 block of West Haddon.”

  FOX 32 reported that the alleged armed robber then approached the 36-year-old concealed carry permit holder with gun drawn “and demanded his belongings.” The concealed carry permit holder pulled his own firearm and opened fire, killing the alleged armed robber at 10:48 p.m. 

  A gray Toyota and the property of the two women from West Haddon were recovered by police.

So that's at least three armed robberies solved by the armed citizen.

CWB has an amusing graphic up:

 

 

As the deceased was a mere eighteen years of age, there's no telling how many future crimes were just cured by this preventative lead-icillin injection.

Thanks Again Fata$$

What's another million in taxpayer money pissed away on illegal aliens?

• Taxpayers will be on the hook for more than $1 million for a giant base camp tent that was supposed to be built to house migrants back in 2023.

  The construction was scrapped halfway through construction, and, at the time the governor vowed taxpayers would not be responsible.

  The payment was slipped into the budget, and Democrats and Republicans were caught off guard. The last-minute push to get the budget deal done by May 31 meant lawmakers did not have time to review it all before voting on it. Tucked inside was a two-line notation about a payment to GardaWorld, the company hired by the state to build the base camp tents.

Once again, the useless legislators attempt to pass all sorts of bullshit bills, virtue signalling and all manner of crap, then they run around the last seventy-two hours of the legislative session and rush through a massive budget bill that no one even reads.

And they act surprised this made it into Law. 

Next up, check out who GardaWorld makes political contributions too this election cycle. 

Predator Convicted

Good riddance:

• A former Chicago police officer pleaded guilty on Tuesday to felony charges in connection with two incidents of sexual misconduct involving female colleagues — one that occurred at the police training academy and one at a police precinct.

  The case against Eric Tabb was highlighted in an Invisible Institute-ProPublica investigation that found that Chicago police officials have frequently failed to vigorously investigate allegations of sexual misconduct made against city officers.

  Tabb, 35, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated battery in a public place, a Class 3 felony, and was sentenced to 30 months of probation. As part of a plea agreement, Tabb’s charges were reduced and he was required to enroll in a sex offender program.

Probation? Another joke.

Until the exploitative culture at the Academy is eliminated (and strict background checks are reinstated), expecting the Department to thoroughly investigate what has long been acceptable behavior by former and current instructors, especially gym instructors, is a ridiculous expectation.