Governor Highlights Chicago’s Waterfront Amid Recent Violence
Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker recently shared a video showcasing the peacefulness of Chicago’s Lake Michigan shoreline on his social media. This location, however, has become a focal point for tragedy, as it is where a college student was shot and killed just last week.
“There are quite a few runners coming down here,” Pritzker noted in the video, which he earlier posted in September. “The lakeside path and trail are simply beautiful. Just beautiful. Look at that overpass. It’s a fantastic lakefront.” His enthusiastic comments feel starkly out of place in light of the incident involving 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman, a student at Loyola University, who lost her life near Tobey Prinz Beach Park, part of the area overseen by the Chicago Police Department’s 24th Precinct.
Critics have taken to social media, expressing their disapproval of Pritzker’s portrayal of the area. One commenter pointed out that neither Pritzker nor Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson had addressed Gorman’s murder, allegedly at the hands of undocumented immigrants from Venezuela. Another made a pointed remark about the governor’s earlier video, suggesting it downplayed safety concerns related to the lakefront.
Social media posts critiquing Pritzker included messages highlighting the tragic killing of Gorman by José Medina, a Venezuelan national who had previously been arrested for shoplifting but was released in 2023, as reported by the Department of Homeland Security. Medina had also encountered issues with U.S. Border Patrol earlier that same year but had been allowed to remain free.
In a statement reflecting the frustrations of the situation, Acting Assistant Secretary of State Lauren Biss remarked, “Sheridan Gorman was failed by open border policies and politicians who allowed this illegal alien to be released not once, but twice.” The tension between celebrating the lakefront’s beauty and acknowledging ongoing crime in the area is palpable.
Reports reveal that while there have been enhancements in reducing specific crimes like burglary and vehicle theft over recent years, serious offenses, including murder and sexual assault, have surged. In fact, statistics show three murders, 19 sexual assaults, and 32 aggravated assaults have occurred in the 24th District so far this year alone, placing it among the neighborhoods with the highest homicide rates in Chicago’s Area 3.
Pritzker’s office has yet to respond to inquiries about the crime rate around the waterfront. The striking juxtaposition of the governor’s video and the local reality raises questions about the portrayal of safety in a city grappling with violence.
