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* NY Times article on the Chicago mayor’s race quoting Chicago FOP President John Catanzara…
Mr. Catanzara is not lying low. He predicted that 800 to 1,000 Chicago police officers would leave the force if Mr. Johnson wins, adding to hundreds of vacancies already awaiting the next mayor.
“If this guy gets in we’re going to see an exodus like we’ve never seen before,” he said, predicting “blood in the streets.”
Are we at the “Before it’s too late” stage now?
…Adding… Par for the course…
Paul Vallas says he “condemns” these comments from John Catanzara and calls them “absolutely irresponsible.” https://t.co/Jqfs3A5pzr
— Gregory Pratt (@royalpratt) March 28, 2023
…Adding… Saw this referenced on Twitter. It’s a Trib story from October of 2021 when Catanzara was fighting the vax mandate and predicted half the force would stay away from the job. Didn’t happen…
Two days earlier, he posted a video urging about 10,000 active officers to defy Lightfoot’s vaccination reporting requirement and brace for being sent home without pay. He also said he will sue the city to fight Lightfoot’s mandate.
Catanzara advised his members to report to work Friday with the assumption they would be sent home and said he would also forgo pay.
It is unclear how many officers will follow Catanzara’s directive, but he suggested the department could be operating at 50% capacity this weekend — a prediction Chicago police brass swatted away Thursday.
“Whatever happens because of that manpower issue, that falls at the mayor’s doorstep,” Catanzara said in his Tuesday video.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 10:45 am
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“Are we at the “Before it’s too late” stage now?”
Absolutely. 100%. Vallas, before it’s too late. That would be running already but for, ya know, the blatant racism.
Comment by New Day Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 10:54 am
I think it’s already too late. Neither of these two has what it takes to reverse the slide Chicago is on. Anyone else remember what New York was like in the 1970s? It’s gonna be like that regardless of who wins next week.
Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 10:56 am
The Chicago Mayoral conundrum.
Pritzker saved Illinois from Bailey, but Bailey and his ilk are needed to save Chicago from Johnson?
“Before it’s too late”… amirite?
Bailey needed to be stopped, but let’s agree with Bailey to stop Johnson?
Man, it’s like going back in time, no?
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 10:58 am
Maybe Vallas will make him superintendent. That will solve all the problems. And maybe they can find that motorcycle cop who told Trump he could solve the crime problem in a week.
Comment by Big Dipper Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 10:58 am
==He predicted that 800 to 1,000 Chicago police officers would leave==
And will care for all the drug sniffing dogs put out of work following legalized weed. /S
Comment by Jocko Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 10:58 am
===He predicted that 800 to 1,000 Chicago police officers would leave the force if Mr. Johnson wins===
I have a feeling that those officers aren’t exactly pillars of public service and that they’d be doing us a favor.
I was a little surprised that the NYTimes was able to get a quote from Catanzara that wasn’t racist, but when I went to the article it turns out that was not the case.
===Mr. Catanzara was particularly hard on the teachers union and its “Manchurian candidate.”===
I wish they’d asked him to elaborate.
Comment by Candy Dogood Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 10:59 am
Lightfoot was too late with a lot of folks.
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 11:00 am
FOP chapters love to threaten to not do their jobs if there is anything even resembling accountability asked for. The entire concept of being answerable to anyone for anything is anathema to the majority of police culture in the US, as far as I can tell.
Comment by Homebody Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 11:01 am
Neither guy is going to reverse the local trend because the local trend is merely part of the national trend, almost without exception.
Comment by DuPage Dad Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 11:02 am
Still waiting for someone to actually say it which given the trajectory of the race…will happen.
Comment by ArchPundit Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 11:03 am
“Vote for a police state leader or the police will leave and you’ll be in danger”
Is that right, I dunno if this is…
“Mighty nice city you have here, be a shame if something happens to it”
… because crime is “so bad” with these FOP types already in place.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 11:04 am
I don’t think that’s the threat Cantazara thinks it is.
Comment by northsider (the original) Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 11:08 am
The fact that so many IL Dems can’t see how badly they messed up giving so much oxygen to these arguments is concerning.
This type of rhetoric is going to be far more accommodated and accepted as true if its supported by a “Democratic” mayor.
Comment by SWSider Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 11:14 am
== Mr. Catanzara is not lying low ==
He actually kinda had lowered his profile a bit — until this. The guy can’t help himself.
For those of us who don’t align with either the FOP or CTU, this election is a nightmare.
Comment by Tammy Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 11:15 am
There’s already “blood in the streets.” That’s why changes need to be made. What is being done isn’t working. And I suspect Mr. Catanzara doesn’t see FOP as being part of this problem.
I agree with Candy - 800-1000 of these types of POs leaving might be the backdoor defunding the force needs.
Comment by Lefty Lefty Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 11:15 am
This is why the “both sides” argument falls flat, and I’ve seen it pop up here on occasion, with Vallas and FOP vs. Johnson and CTU. If Jesse Sharkey took to a podium and promised “blood in the streets” if their preferred candidate did not win, he’d be condemned from every corner, save for like twenty profoundly online weirdos. Catanzara does is and about the strongest criticism you’ll hear about it is “controversial messaging” and maybe the word “firebrand.”
Also, when people like Catanzara threaten blood in the streets, it’s pretty easy to figure out he’s not just talking about a spontaneous crime wave due to policing apathy, given the wannabe-militia man streak running through a number of his devotees. I don’t think we’ve got nearly as many Chicago teachers with easy access to military-grade firearms at home and/or the workplace.
Comment by Roadrager Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 11:16 am
CPD is broken. This sounds like an opportunity. Lots of open positions. More coming. If there was ever a moment for CPD to rebuild a new culture and approach, that is right now. Bring it on.
Comment by Change agent Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 11:18 am
==The fact that so many IL Dems can’t see how badly they messed up giving so much oxygen to these arguments is concerning.==
Defund police was condemned by Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and then-Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Karen Bass in May/June 2020. The oxygen comes from the far right giving out oxygen tanks to smear mainstream Democrats with far-left strawmen.
Comment by Nuke The Whales Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 11:20 am
@Nuke The Whales hit the nail right on the head. If it wasn’t this, it would be trans migrant caravans or blue-haired librarians armed with fully-automatic YA novels. We ignore the trolls, and focus on the work that actually helps people.
Catanzara clinging to relevance with more and more out there claims, but he’s an embarassment to the entire establishment of policing.
Comment by Commissar Gritty Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 11:23 am
== The oxygen comes from the far right giving out oxygen tanks to smear mainstream Democrats with far-left strawmen. ==
Is that why New York, where Dems embraced this position, got waxed while rolling everywhere else in 2022?
Comment by SWSider Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 11:25 am
This is as good an argument to vote for Johnson as any I’ve heard.
Some of my favorite Chicago progressives like Alderman Vasquez have been outspoken that we have strung out the CPD to its limits, especially during the COVID era, and we cannot expect the cops to keep handling all the last-resort duties the city foists upon them. Something has to change.
But we still need to live in a democracy, not whatever “vote for our candidate, or your city will burn” is.
Comment by ZC Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 11:25 am
anyone listening to Black radio? wonder what the take is on all that is Catanzara? I know that there is more crime, but basically he’s saying that the Black community will rise up and leave people bleeding, or does he mean his side?
Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 11:27 am
Wait, so the head of the FOP says they’ll defund themselves if the guy they don’t like wins?
Comment by LivCo Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 11:27 am
Each time the FOP leader speaks it becomes clear there is a need for reform. He does the rank and file no favors by his comments
Comment by Tired teacher Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 11:30 am
The follow up questions should be 1) How many will leave if he loses? 2). What is the normal attrition rate in the first place? We are still in the midst of baby boomer retirements -although police officers may be nearing the end of that since they can retire younger than non police officers.
Comment by thoughts matter Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 11:31 am
Whenever I hear about all the public service workers who will believe because of X, I always laugh. They got another high-paying job with excellent benefits lined up somewhere? Oh yeah, retirement.
Comment by Jibba Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 11:38 am
The Nashville bodycam video currently all over the news is showing us exactly what police should be: brave, well-trained, great at communicating (especially when they were respectfully and quickly getting information outside the school from the teacher).
The Nashville responders show the best of U.S. policing; Catanzara represents the worst. As a Chuy-to-Vallas voter, I can only hope Vallas distances himself or confronts Catanzara at some point.
Comment by R.J. Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 12:03 pm
I saw a Clearwater FL police officer sitting in a mall parking lot a month ago. I was lost. I pulled up to him and asked for directions. His response? Your from Chicago, so am I. I can tell by your accent. He told me at least 30 cops that he knows of have moved and accepted cop positions in various municipalities in Florida. It is probably a higher number. Maybe they all formed a club down there. I thanked him for his service and found the place.
800 to 1,000 cops if Johnson wins? Consider the source. They will continue bleeding out, but I seriously doubt it will hit anywhere near those numbers.
Comment by Louis G Atsaves Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 12:03 pm
“blood in the streets.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh-9EVi_tN8
Comment by Ducky LaMoore Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 12:12 pm
Bernard Epton was a liberal Republican from Hyde Park (the same neighborhood where Harold Washington lived). The slogan “Before It’s Too Late” was the work of a political consultant who parachuted in for the 1983 campaign.
That historic mayoralty race was exceptionally ugly and there were bad actors on all sides.
Comment by Gravitas Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 12:20 pm
==As a Chuy-to-Vallas voter, I can only hope Vallas distances himself or confronts Catanzara at some point==
As a tiger-to-zebra enthusiast, I can only hope these animals will learn to change their stripes at some point.
Paul Vallas wins the mayor’s office and then turns his back on the head of FOP who just won reelection by a very comfortable margin. You think Catanzara is going to play nice because Vallas said all the right things before the election? The dude speaking in an official capacity while wearing a stars-and-stripes “Trump 45″ baseball jersey isn’t going to be all that interested in doing nuance, I think.
Comment by Roadrager Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 12:55 pm
I’m sure these cops will have an easy time finding another 6 figure paying job with a full pension that doesn’t require a college degree.
Comment by Former Downstater Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 1:00 pm
===That historic mayoralty race was exceptionally ugly and there were bad actors on all sides.
The candidate is responsible for the message. Epton may have had a laudable history supporting Civil Rights, but his campaign used the slogan.
Comment by ArchPundit Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 1:04 pm
Minneapolis has seen a dramatic number of retirements largely related to PTSD claims since the troubles of 2020 and crime other than auto theft is trending back down. Catanzara might be surprised how this could turn out for the FOP. As the earlier post on policing today suggests, it might be more about management than numbers. And those that might leave because of Brandon Johnson may be the ones the community needs to leave.
Comment by ArchPundit Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 1:08 pm
If the retirees are Catanzara supporters, this is likely a very good thing.
Comment by Lincoln Lad Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 2:15 pm
Going to be a great experience listening to all the heads explode on here next Wednesday morning.
Comment by CubsWin Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 2:36 pm
===Going to be a great experience listening===
Narrator: the words are written, not spoken
It’s an odd flex that one is touting a great experience in a race where either side “winning” is a side of the extreme.
So, enjoying an extreme winning by hoping heads explode is about right for the oddly extreme
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 2:49 pm
Catanzara, who supports Vallas and whose support is accepted, says bad things. Instead of throwing him off in the first place, Vallas uses the bad things opportunity to give a response saying those bad things are bad. You know Paul, if you did not hang with bad people on too many occasions you would not have to say they are bad. Oh, maybe that’s the point. You win both ways. Hope not.
Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 2:58 pm
Hmmm Vallas or Preckwinkle? Still going with Vallas
Comment by DMC Tuesday, Mar 28, 23 @ 3:56 pm