East Central Reporter

Senator Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville) recently voiced his concerns about the rising crime rate in Illinois, while placing blame on Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

“When you slander, insult and endanger those who put their lives on the line to protect our communities and our families, this sort of thing happens,” Plummer wrote on Facebook. “And why would anyone be surprised? You’re doing a bang-up job, Chicago Mayor's Office, Gov. Pritzker and Democrat legislators. The violent crime and numbers of residents fleeing is only going to get worse if you keep protecting criminals and keep attacking our law enforcement professionals. Crime is out of control."

To address this, a release from the Office of the Governor mentioned Pritzker’s signing of the upcoming budget for the 2023 Fiscal Year will fund public safety and violence prevention.

“This budget continues us down the path of financial surety, invests in critical resources like public safety and human services, and helps ease the burden of inflation for families with $1.8 billion in tax relief,” House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said in the release. “This is what financial responsibility looks like, and fiscal watchdogs agree.”

After a massive crowd gathered on May 11, one individual was arrested and another killed. CBS News reported that an unidentified detective told them “when it comes to dealing with big crowds like those Wednesday night, there is no real strategy coming from the top.”

The detective said to CBS that officers will step in if they see someone with a gun, but otherwise he said they can’t do much of anything but observe and let it happen.

Crime Rate reports that on average, a crime is committed every one minute in Illinois.

A 20-year-old was arrested on May 11 after officers responding to a shooting in the 4800 block of South Ada Street were punched and pushed away, according to Fox News. The individual has been charged with two felony counts of aggravated battery on a peace officer. He has also been charged with two misdemeanors for resisting arrest.

Crime Rate added that the most frequent crime committed in Illinois is assault.

There were three shooting incidents on May 10, including five teenagers in a neighborhood known as the “Back of the Yards.” This was attributed to retaliatory gang violence that has occurred since April, the Chicago Tribune reported. 

Eight more people were shot at Jackson Park on Tuesday night in incidents that took place about an hour apart.