Chicago mayor falsely claims there were no 'race riots' last year in the city

In a heated argument with a reporter on Friday, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot falsely asserted the city did not have "race riots" last year.

The city leader never explained how that was the case, despite the fact that downtown Chicago was locked down last August and over 100 suspects were arrested for "looting, battery against police and disorderly conduct."

Lightfoot went on to say that it was her "personal opinion." In late June, she said 99 percent of the criticism she faces in office is because she's a black woman.

William Kelly of Newsmax asked about Chicago's shootings and murders. Lightfoot had said crime was down but Kelly pointed out the recent spike in violent crime, especially over the holiday weekend.

Lightfoot responded that when compared to last year, there was a downward trend in data. Lightfoot acknowledged that every major city had a surge in violence since 2020, but asserted Chicago had a "downward trend" in homicides and shootings.

Kelly responded: "Pairing last night’s thirty plus shootings to last year when we had an out of control race riot in which almost every member of the city of Chicago was, in fact, a victim seems to be playing with those numbers just a little bit. Last night (I think you were on Chicago Tonight) you said that 99.9 percent of the criticism of you is because you're a black woman. Do you honestly believe that considering the way the city council…"

Lightfoot started stuttering to try and interject but Kelly continued: "The city council of Chicago is obviously made up of many black women, who criticize you. Do you really believe that the criticism of you is 99.9 percent based on the fact that you're a black woman?"

The Chicago mayor responded, stuttering: "So you said about 15 things, most of which were wrong. So let's let's let's let's let's let's let's let's let's decon … let's deconstruct some of that. We didn't have race riots last summer."

Lightfoot is disproven by mid-July 2020 footage of Black Lives Matter-Antifa rioters attempting to topple a Columbus statue as an onslaught of projectile weapons and explosives were hurled at police protecting the monument. An organized brigade of black bloc Antifa militants used umbrellas as cover.

The Newsmax reporter tried responding but the reply was inaudible. Only Lightfoot's mic was heard: "No, no, I, I, no, I, no, no, no, no, no, no, you're wrong. Sir, you're wrong. You're wrong and I know that you, I know that you have…. you like to be controversial. But, no, I, I, you, you do, you do."

Lightfoot cut off the Newsmax reporter again: "Sir you gonna let me answer or are you just going to keep talking like you did the last time?" Lightfoot went on to accuse Kelly of being a failed political candidate "over and over again."

"What you don't have the right to do is make up facts," the Democrat mayor said. "We did not have race riots in our city last year. That's just wrong, and again … yeah that's wrong, and it's incendiary. I know that's what Newsmax likes to do, but I'm not going to let you take liberty with the facts. Not in front of me. You're not going to get away with that.”

In mid-August 2020, looters broke into a Chicago mall and looted the place clean overnight. Chicago law enforcement were attacked by an Antifa mob days later.

Lightfoot didn't answer why what happened in Chicago last year wasn't race rioting. "Let's go to the next question," she pivoted. Kelly noticed that and asked why. Lightfoot claimed she "answered" the question by labeling it as insulting.

Ultimately, Lightfoot stated that the original point about "99.9 percent" of criticism was her "personal opinion" and that Kelly didn't have the right to criticize that.  It wasn't the first time Lightfoot made the claim about "downward trends" either. After last month's attack that left two dead at a Puerto Rican Day Parade in the city, the Chicago mayor made such remarks.