Repeal the SAFE-T Act: Lock Up Career Criminals

Written by David E. Smith

Illinois’ Soft-on-Crime Policies Are Hurting Innocent People

More and more people are being violently victimized because of the so-called “SAFE-T Act,” rushed through the General Assembly on January 13, 2021, and signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker on February 22, 2021. This massive overhaul of our criminal-justice system passed entirely along party lines — every Democrat voted for it; not a single Republican supported it.

The horrific attack on 26-year-old Bethany Magee is not an isolated tragedy. Violent repeat offenders are now routinely released back onto our streets — with devastating consequences. In recent years, Chicagoans have endured case after case of innocent people being victimized by criminals who should never have been free:

• Officer Luis Huesca, gunned down by a suspect who had previously been arrested for armed robbery and carjacking.

• Dakotah Earley, brutally shot and robbed by an offender who was out on bond for multiple felony charges.

• Ella French, the Chicago police officer killed during a traffic stop by a man with a long criminal history — who had previously been given probation for a felony gun case.

• On a CTA Blue Line train in Chicago a 30-year-old man, sexually assaulted a 57-year-old woman at gunpoint. He has prior convictions for public indecency/lewd exposure and a prior 11-year sentence for battery of a peace officer, and prosecutors previously dropped an attempted murder charge against him.

• Michael Blackwell, a man who once sat on Illinois’ death row for killing three Latin King gang members in Joliet is back behind bars, this time in Wisconsin charged with first-degree child sexual assault on a child under 13.

• Derek Rucker, one of the so-called “Loop Puncher” attackers plead guilty to five felonies, including multiple aggravated batteries and two CTA train burglaries. Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans issued an internal memo warning courthouse staff describing Rucker as having a “repeated history of punching strangers,”

These are but a few examples of a justice system that elevates leftwing ideology above the safety of ordinary citizens. When violent, repeat offenders are released back onto the streets with little more than a slap on the wrist, innocent people pay the price.

This cannot continue.

Illinois cannot wait for the next victim. It’s time for Governor JB Pritzker to acknowledge what everyday Illinoisans already know: the SAFE-T Act is a dangerous failure, and it must be repealed.

Take ACTION: Take 30 seconds today to call Governor Pritzker and urge him to repeal the SAFE-T Act and restore public safety:

• Springfield Office: 217-782-6830
• Chicago Office: 312-814-2121

Be respectful, firm, and clear: Illinois deserves laws that protect the innocent — not policies that empower violent criminals.

More ACTION: Click HERE to send a message to your state senator, state representative, and Governor Pritzker demanding that they repeal — or at the very least, dramatically reform — the disastrous SAFE-T Act. Illinois citizens deserve protection from violent repeat offenders like Lawrence Reed, a man with eight felony convictions and 72 prior arrests.

This is a serious issue — one that is now garnering national attention and further cementing Chicago’s reputation as a crime-infested city. Watch this segment from Fox News’ Special Report:

Our elected officials will not act unless you speak up.

Let’s stand together and call our leaders back to their most basic duty: to uphold justice and protect the communities and families who elected them. It’s time to demand change.