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Looters in Chicago
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Out-of-control Chicago looters were not activists, but reportedly a 'mix of college students, out-of-work parents, and convicted felons'

Interesting twist

Chicago looters — who reportedly caused a whopping $60 million in damages to the city — were not demonstrating activists, but college students, parents, and convicted felons, according to a Friday report from the Chicago Tribune.

What are the details?

Looters and vandals crushed the city's downtown area over the last week, and the Tribune reports that the looters were not activists demonstrating against a shooting in the city's mostly black Englewood neighborhood — they were students, parents, convicts.

Authorities arrested at least 100 people earlier this month. Protesters referred to those arrested as "political prisoners." But the Tribune reports that the "political prisoners" were nothing more than conscienceless opportunists who wanted free merchandise.

The outlet released the report on Friday, titled "Those charged with downtown Chicago looting a mix of college students, out-of-work parents, and convicted felons. But none have obvious ties to Englewood."

"After hundreds of people looted stores on the Mag Mile and elsewhere downtown, 43 defendants appeared before judges this week charged with felonies, an odd mix of peer-pressured college students, out-of-work parents, and convicted felons," the report read. "But none of them, it appeared, were from Englewood, even though Chicago police say the widespread looting had its beginnings with a police shooting there Sunday afternoon."

No defendants, according to the outlet, even made mention of the shooting in court statements.

“While the mayor and the city's top cop have suggested the looting was sparked by the police shooting in Englewood hours earlier, there is nothing in the court record to support that," the outlet added. “Activists and residents of the South Side neighborhood have pushed back on those suggestions, and relatives of the man shot by police have said they did not know about the looting and do not condone it."

What else?

Last week, a group of Englewood residents chased out protesters who they said only came out in droves when protesting against police brutality, but not when local African Americans were otherwise killed.

Activist Charles McKenzie told a local station, "We refuse to let anyone come to Englewood and tear it up!"

Resident Darryl Smith added, "I don't see none of you motherf***ers when it's kids back here shot up! I'm out here every day! Y'all don't come out here when the kids get shot! Y'all come out when it has to do with the f***ing police!"

Angry residents were eventually able to drive out the protesters, whom they branded opportunists.

Smith later added, "A lot of people saying the looting downtown sparked from Englewood. We're not having that. It didn't spark from Englewood. Those are opportunists. We are tired of Englewood getting a black eye for any and every thing that happens."

"No matter what they were gonna do, they're not gonna come to Englewood, antagonizing our police, and then, when they go back home to the north side and Indiana, our police are bitter, and they're beating up our little black boys!" Smith blasted. "Are all the police good? No, they're not. But not all the police are bad. We don't need any outsiders antagonizing them!"

(H/T: The Daily Wire)

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