Washington Riots Just a Preview of What Awaits Dems in Chicago

The anti-Israel violence and vandalism last week in Washington, D.C., merely hints at what might await Democrats in Chicago later this month. The infamous mayhem at the 1968 Democratic National Convention already ensured that protests would be a storyline, but the lax law enforcement in Chicago and other cities run by Democrats has set the stage for a reprise of 1968.

What happened in Washington

Last week’s lawlessness in Washington must not be brushed away simply as protests. What began as marches through the city’s streets culminated in riots. Organizers had vowed a “day of rage.” They delivered on that promise.

At Union Station, they tore down American flags, replaced them with Palestinian pennants, then burned the American flag and defaced monuments. Not with “pro-Palestinian” graffiti, but with pro-Hamas slogans. Having earlier tried to force their way to the Capitol, police had to resort to using pepper spray. Inside the House chamber, more protestors were arrested for disrupting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address. The day before, 200 agitators were arrested inside the Cannon House Office Building. Protestors had also gathered outside Netanyahu’s hotel, where they released insects. A day after his speech, protestors held a “die-in” at the White House.

From all these episodes, only a handful were arrested. Of these, nearly half have had their charges dropped. Gus Papathanasiou, the U.S. Capitol Police labor committee’s chairman, said, “It’s a slap in the face to law enforcement who are doing their jobs and these prosecutors throw these charges out. Shame on them for … giving free passes to criminals.”

Of course, leniency on crime in Washington, D.C., is hardly new. In 2023, Congress voted overwhelmingly to block the city’s weakening of its criminal code; even so, 2023 was the city’s deadliest year in over two decades – despite President Biden’s inaccurate and cavalier claim that crime is at its lowest point in 50 years.

Look ahead to Chicago

It’s likely that Washington’s anti-Netanyahu protests – and the leniency encouraging them and in response to them – are footnotes compared to the performance that will open a few weeks from now at the Democratic National Convention. They are also microcosms of Democrats’ larger national problem on crime.

Democrats’ solicitude for the perpetrators of crime, rather than its victims, is an old storyline. However, today’s Democrats have taken it to a new level. “Defunding” the police, abolishing immigration enforcement, establishing  “sanctuary cities,” refusing to prosecute criminals, eliminating bail requirements, and calling for lighter prison sentences (unless Donald Trump is the defendant) have all been embraced by progressives and enshrined into law in Democratic-controlled jurisdictions across the United States.

They’ve gone from espousing an ideology of victimhood that sees all social interactions as conflicts between oppressor and oppressed to actually implementing it. In doing so, Democrats have executed a role reversal: releasing the guilty and incarcerating society at large. In a few weeks, Democrats in Chicago will learn how the rest of America feels.

Democrats will be the targets

Bibi Netanyahu’s speech lasted less than an hour and occurred in one day. Democrats’ Chicago convention will go for hours and hours over four days (Aug. 19-22). Protestors will have numerous opportunities for disruption, as well as ample time to regroup, revise, and refine their tactics and targets.

And in Chicago, the Democratic Party itself will be their target. It will be because its yawning internal divide over Israel’s response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack invites it. Half of congressional Democrats refused to attend Netanyahu’s speech. So, pro-Hamas protestors will seek to exploit the unique leverage they have among Democrats, many of whom apparently side with the protestors.

Protests in Chicago will also get far more exposure than they did in Washington. And as happened in Washington, Chicago’s lax law enforcement will further encourage disruptions.

Although Chicago’s former mayor, Lori Lightfoot, was defeated for reelection (the first Chicago mayor to lose reelection in four decades) in large part due to soaring crime, Mayor Brandon Johnson has been hardly better.

Prior to his inauguration, Johnson said, “Public safety is a prerequisite to the prosperity of Chicago, and the voters have sent a clear message that they want to get smart, not just tough on crime.” Instead he has pursued the same “soft on crime” policies. Last year, Chicago recorded a five-year high for major crimes, again leading the nation in homicides (for the 12^th straight year), and as of May, robberies and violent crimes were at a six-year high.

Washington is the preview

So, while many Democrats will be applauding protests, Chicago’s Democratic administration may well be enabling them. And the protests will not just be against Israel. Expect the plethora of Democratic causes to take to Chicago streets – radical environmentalism, transgender advocates, open border advocates – all can expect to find some resonance with converging conventioneers.

The danger for the political party hosting all this activity is that it will repulse average Americans who see Democrats as allowing crime to spike. According to the RealClearPolitics Average of national polling on specific issues, President Biden has just a 38.2% approval rating (versus 56.2% disapproval) on his handling of crime.

Washington’s violent anti-Netanyahu protests were but a preview. Having embraced soft-on-crime policies nationwide, locally in Chicago, and collectively as a party, they have countenanced – if not courted – extremist causes and those supporting them. Having ignored crime’s real victims, Democrats are about to be victimized by the culture they created.

This article was originally published by RealClearPolitics and made available via RealClearWire.