Upset Chicago officials heard speaking angrily about riots on tape: ‘My ward is a s–t show’

WTTW News reportedly obtained a tape of a conference call involving the mayor and Chicago’s 50 aldermen. Many of the aldermen can be heard angrily denouncing the current situation with one even weeping.

“My ward is a s--t show,” said one alderman. “They are shooting at the police.”

Protests and riots broke out across the country after Floyd’s death and many involved looting and extreme violence. There have been a number of more peaceful protests since the initial unrest.

The Chicago call was from Sunday, May 31 and there were 699 arrests made on that day alone. There were also 17 homicides, 48 shootings and 132 injured officers along with a massive amount of damage to properties and businesses.

One of the aldermen expressed concern for seniors and other vulnerable populations when it comes to acquiring food and medicine if “every CVS, every Walgreens is shutting down.”

“How do businesses recover and why would they want to recover in our community?” another asked.

Lightfoot referred to the situation as a “massive, massive problem.” Previously she said rioters were “just f-----g lawless right now.”

“I don’t know about you, but I haven’t seen s--t like this before, not in Chicago,” Lightfoot noted.

The call shows how overwhelming the rioting and looting has been for city officials. There were curfews put into place in many cities which helped to lower the amount of crime. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker called the National Guard on Lightfoot’s request.

During the call, some criticized Lightfoot for the way she responded to the situation. Ald. Raymond Lopez reportedly requested that Lightfoot make a plan that would stabilize neighbourhoods in Chicago for five days. He referred to his ward in the Southwest Side as a “virtual war zone.” He said gang members were making threats about shooting black people.

Lopez demanded that Lightfoot respond to his comments and she told him he was “100 percent full of s--t.”

“Well, f--k you then,” Lopez responded.