Even “Saturday Night Live” is poking fun at the Windy City after the crime-ridden metropolis's progressive mayor passed a controversial resolution this week.
Michael Che, host of SNL's Weekend Update, quipped, “Chicago was the largest city in the U.S. to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.”
He then continued with the punchline: “And in return, Gaza demanded a ceasefire in Chicago.”
The joke came days after Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson used his tie-breaking vote to break the tie in favor of the controversial measure calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza without the release of hostages.
The resolution made Chicago the largest U.S. city to call for a ceasefire so far in the four-month war that has left more than 26,000 Palestinians dead.
Even “Saturday Night Live” is poking fun at the Windy City after the crime-busting metropolis's progressive mayor passed a controversial resolution last week
Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson used his tie-breaking vote to break the tie this week in favor of a controversial measure that called for an immediate ceasefire without the release of hostages
Even “left-leaning” media laughs at Chicago.
Far too often, Chicago is the punchline to a joke.
Choose clowns, expect a circus.
Do better, Chicago.pic.twitter.com/usOuDiVmk9
– Chicago 16th and 17th Precinct Police Scanner (@CPD1617Scanner) February 4, 2024
The clip of Che's joke quickly went viral on social media, with one X user who shared the video saying, “Even 'left-leaning' media laughs at Chicago.”
“Far too often, Chicago is the punchline to a joke.” Choose clowns, expect a circus. Do better Chicago,” the user wrote.
Another user wrote: “Oh man, I'm glad I moved. Please be careful.”
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters crowded the building and the public gallery to take part in the knife-edge vote, in which Johnson attacked his opponents with sharp weapons before casting the deciding vote.
As the Chicago Sun-Times reported, Johnson asked two senior city councilors to stay away if they couldn't support it and was criticized for inflaming tensions with his decisive vote.
Councilwoman Debra Silverstein, the city council's only Jewish member, pleaded with her colleagues not to pass the resolution.
“The dozens of women who were raped are not mentioned once,” Silverstein said to hecklers from the crowd as a police officer stood nearby.
“No hint of the brutal depravity now burned into the psyche of every Israeli and every Jewish man, woman and child.”
Even Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker criticized the vote in a city that is scheduled to host the Democratic National Convention in August.
“I was disappointed that no consideration was given to the women who were raped by Hamas militants who came to Israel and kidnapped people, and that the deaths caused by these terrorists were not acknowledged,” he said.
“And if the city council wants to talk about the challenge of war in the Middle East, it needs to make sure it includes all perspectives. “They haven't done that.”
Chicago's Democratic mayor has been accused of strong-arming his opponents and accused of using his tie-breaking vote to ensure passage of the controversial measure
Police struggled to maintain order as corridors were occupied by protesters
While the mayor worked diligently behind the scenes to pass the resolution, crime has exploded across the city over the past two years
While the mayor worked diligently behind the scenes to pass the resolution, crime has exploded across the city over the past two years.
Murders are down 13 percent this year and 20 percent in three years, but overall crime is up 17 percent – particularly car theft and robberies.
Under Johnson's predecessor, Lori Lightfoot, crime rose from a total of 46,572 complaints to 65,421 in 2022 – although that was almost entirely due to massive increases in car thefts, burglaries and robberies.
And last year didn't change the city's fortunes, as crime rose 64 percent year-on-year, 68 percent year-on-year, and 55 percent year-on-year.
Murders and shootings have been declining for three years, down 13 percent each this year and 20 percent since 2020, with shootings down 25 percent over that period.
However, both numbers are up compared to before the Covid pandemic – murders increased 24 percent compared to 2019 and shootings increased 15 percent.
Robberies are up 23 percent compared to last year and 39 percent compared to 2019, while thefts have been stable this year but are up 41 percent since 2019 and 94 percent since 2020.
By far the biggest increase in crime has been vehicle-related thefts, increasing by 38 percent this year and a staggering 227 percent compared to 2019.