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Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot shares video of herself CROONING to launch new karaoke contest

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot shares video of herself CROONING to launch new karaoke contest 2

Embattled Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is busy promoting the city’s karaoke competition while violent crime soars by 37 percent in the last year. 

Lightfoot was seen brandishing sunglasses on TikTok signing ‘Sweet Home Chicago’ as she urged residents to join the month-long karaoke contest starting this Sunday for a chance to win $5,000. 

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Although the competition is meant to celebrate the Windy City, the tone-deaf video garnered backlash as residents blasted the mayor over Chicago’s high crime and murder rate, with the city reporting 523 killings for far this year. 

Lightfoot, once an advocate for defunding the police, is now pumping millions into the departments this year ahead of her re-election campaign. 

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (above) went on TikTok to promote a citywide karaoke contest while crime continues to run rampant in the Windy City

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (above) went on TikTok to promote a citywide karaoke contest while crime continues to run rampant in the Windy City

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Chicago has seen a 37 percent spike in violent crime, with 523 murders reported so far this year, placing it seventh in America's murder rate list

Chicago has seen a 37 percent spike in violent crime, with 523 murders reported so far this year, placing it seventh in America’s murder rate list

Unveiling her budget earlier this week, Lightfoot proposed a $64 million increase to the Chicago Police Department, including the addition of 35 new officers. 

The move is in line with her U-turn to ‘refund the police’ last year after she raised the department’s budget from $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion. 

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But crime continues to run rampant in Chicago, and many are putting the blame on Lightfoot, who faces elections next year against eight other candidates. 

On Lightfoot’s TikTok, comment came pouring in blasting the mayor for the high crime rates, warning her that she will not be re-elected. 

‘Baby we want you to gooooo,’ one user with the handle JenJen wrote, poking fun at the mayor’s song choice.  

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Another TikTok user with the handle Liam’s tension wrote: ‘Worst mayor Chicago’s seen.’ 

A user with the Foundwonderland was among the many confused with the mayor’s priorities as she promoted a karaoke contest. 

‘BRUH YOUR CITY IS IN SHAMBLES WHAT IS THIS,’ they wrote. 

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Mike Marusic, another TikTok user, joined others in calling the mayor Beetlejuice.

‘You got record murders going on within your city! Karaoke helps,’ Marusic wrote. ‘Great job Beet!!’  

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot shares video of herself CROONING to launch new karaoke contest 3

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Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot shares video of herself CROONING to launch new karaoke contest 5

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot shares video of herself CROONING to launch new karaoke contest 7

Many criticized the mayor's video, blasting her for focusing on a singing competition instead of doing more to crack down on violent crime

Many criticized the mayor’s video, blasting her for focusing on a singing competition instead of doing more to crack down on violent crime

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The homicide rate for Chicago has diverged significantly from that of peer US cities Los Angeles and New York over the past few years, according to police statistics. 

After being fairly comparable for most of the second half of the twentieth century, Chicago’s murder rate per 100,000 starts to shoot off into a league of its own.

The Windy City sees 18.4 murders per 100,000 of the population, compared to 7.5 for LA and 3.6 for New York. 

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Before Lightfoot became mayor, the murder rate had been falling for four consecutive years, and now it ranks seventh in the nation. 

Chicago saw it’s most recent murder last week when three-year-old Mateo Zastro was shot in the back of his mother’s car. 

His mother was reported to have tried to drive away after becoming embroiled in some sort of dispute with a red sedan after leaving the mall near 44th & West Marquette Road in the West Lawn neighborhood around 8.30pm.

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But the red car followed her and brazenly shot into the family vehicle, hitting Mateo in the head.

He was rushed to Advocate Christ Medical Center but the dinosaur-loving toddler died eight hours later.

Mateo Zastro, 3, was Chicago's most recent murder victim. The boy was riding with his family in the back of the white SUV when a gunman shot him in the back of the head

Mateo Zastro, 3, was Chicago’s most recent murder victim. The boy was riding with his family in the back of the white SUV when a gunman shot him in the back of the head

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The white SUV carrying a family of four was shot out in a road rage incident after leaving the mall near 44th & West Marquette Road in the West Lawn neighborhood around 8.30pm Friday

The white SUV carrying a family of four was shot out in a road rage incident after leaving the mall near 44th & West Marquette Road in the West Lawn neighborhood around 8.30pm Friday

The murder rate in Chicago has diverged massively from comparable American cities such as New York and Los Angeles,

The murder rate in Chicago has diverged massively from comparable American cities such as New York and Los Angeles, 

As of Thursday, the city has seen 523 murders, about 17 percent less than during the same time last year, but still closing in on 2021’s total of 645. 

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While shooting incidents have decreased by 19 percent from last year, thefts have skyrocketed by 61 percent, with police reporting 12,775 cases so far this year. 

Robberies are also up from 5,456 during the same time last year to 6,364 this year, a 17 percent increase. 

Crime in the city could soar even high as thousands of prisoners are set to be released across Illinois when it becomes the first state to completely do away with cash bail under a new law that goes into effect in January.

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The Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act (SAFE-T Act) completely abolishes the cash bail system, which critics say disproportionately impacts black and brown communities and other underrepresented or impoverished groups.

Under the law, anyone who is arrested may be released back on to the streets based on the assumption of innocence guarantee under the United States Constitution, though criminals accused of certain crimes — like forcible felonies, stalking and domestic abuse — will be exempt from pretrial release.

It was first proposed by the Illinois Black Caucus in response to the May 2020 killing of George Floyd, and was signed into law by Gov JB Pritzker on February 22, 2021.

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As a result, Illinois became the first state to completely abolish cash bail, though other states, like New York, New Jersey, New Mexico, Kentucky and California have created reforms to their bail laws over the past few years.

Gov JB Pritzker has repeatedly defended the controversial SAFE-T Act, which eradicates cash bail throughout Illinois

Gov JB Pritzker has repeatedly defended the controversial SAFE-T Act, which eradicates cash bail throughout Illinois

Mercer County State's Attorney Grace Simpson is among the 17 county prosecutors suing Gov. Pritzker to stop the SAFE-T Act

Mercer County State’s Attorney Grace Simpson is among the 17 county prosecutors suing Gov. Pritzker to stop the SAFE-T Act

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But ever since it was signed into law, Illinois law enforcement officials have warned that the SAFE-T Act will  embolden criminals and make it harder to keep offenders off the streets, as crime rates are already spiraling out of control in Chicago.

Critics have compared it to The Purge, a movie in which the US decriminalizes all crime for 24-hours.

And in just one county, officials report that 400 prisoners there will be released once the law goes into effect.

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Now, as the new year nears, 17 different state attorneys from different counties in Illinois are desperately suing Gov. JB Pritzker to prevent the law from going into effect, WTVO reports.

They argue that its ‘pretrial fairness’ provision violates 40 different state statutes in the Illinois State Constitution. 

‘It is of the utmost importance as a state attorney’s office that the Constitution is abided by on all levels,’ Mercer County State Attorney Grace Simpson said in a statement.

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‘As the chief legal officer in Mercer County, it would be unethical to move forward with the implementation of the SAFE-T [Act], without properly raising those concerns to the court.’

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