4 responses to “American police are out of control — 10/19”

1. 

   granville

   10/19/2025

   Another “winner”: ‘Inactive’ Chicago Cop Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison For Sexual Abuse Of Minors

   https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/13/inactive-chicago-cop-sentenced-to-20-years-in-prison-for-sexual-abuse-of-minors/

   The really wild thing is happening out here in Bridgeview at the ICE facility and its related protests. The town government instituted a “curfew” on protests, which is a new one that I’ve never heard before.

   Pritzker sent in Illinois State Police, saying they would be able to handle the crowd humanely, but now they’re smashing people in the face with batons while clearing roads.

   The ISP also set up concrete barriers to create two “free speech zones,” where people can dissent politely between the hours of 9am and 6pm.

   Reply
   1. 

      Doug Holland

      10/20/2025

      > The ISP also set up concrete barriers to create two “free speech zones,” where people can dissent politely between the hours of 9am and 6pm.

      Yeah, and if I recall from the coverage, people began dissenting politely at 8AM, an hour early, which is why the cops started busting heads.

      Pritzker is a master at saying the right thing, and I’m tempted to kinda like the guy, but those weren’t just cops, they were *his* cops — the Illinois State Police. It’s double damning that he can’t control his own cops, but of course, nobody controls the cops, anywhere in America. That’s the problem.

      I would sure love to see Pritzker be the one who tries.

      My impression from a long ways away is that Chicago’s running low on polite dissent.

      Reply
      1. 

         granville

         10/20/2025

         Sorta. Pritzker is a surprisingly effective manager/technocrat for someone whose wealth is entirely inherited. The mayor of Chicago used to be the most powerful office in the state, but not anymore, and now the governor is having to handle quite a few things that the mayor’s office is honestly too incompetent to do.

         There can be absolutely no question he’s a net negative however. He and his siblings and cousins have been converting their inherited fortunes into political power for the last decade and have basically zero vision other than return to a 2014-ish status quo with shitty health care, offshored jobs, democratic lectures to the developing world, total support for Israel and and Belgians and other Europeans who think we’re swell. You can probably sell the Democratic base +5% of swing voters on that, but not for very long and the pendulum will shift again. Literally nobody in this party can commit themselves to anything that will make anyone’s life better.

         Reply
         1. 

            Doug Holland

            10/21/2025

            As a human, Pritzker is a net negative, no doubt. Short of ‘abdicating’ and giving every inherited penny to the poor, there’s no way he can pay his debt to society.

            But entirely disregarding his surname, wealth, and moral liabilities, considering him only as a politician, measured only against other politicians, he’s among the best we got. Which ain’t saying much. He’s another milquetoast Democrat, isn’t he? I don’t think he advocates any radical repairs to America as she swirls the drain. If Pritzker accomplished absolutely every item on his agenda as Governor, faced no opposition and made no concessions, is there any of it that would make your life noticeably better?

            Just another rich guy in a nice suit. The only thing that’s impressed me is, he’s responded better than the other elected Dems, wordwise, to the looming Trumpocalypse. He’s right up there with AOC in that department.

            He’ll shut up soon as Trump starts arresting the opposition, but during this brief moment on the edge of the ledge, I’m glad we have Pritzker’s mouth.

            Reply

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