Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday linked the city’s surge in carjackings to the shutdown of schools at the start of the pandemic, drawing swift condemnation from the Chicago Teachers Union.
During a news conference touting the early success of a specialized carjacking task force, Lightfoot claimed minors are largely to blame for the citywide crime trend she said has created “pervasive fear” among residents. In noting that the continued spike in carjacking began in 2020, when the pandemic took hold in Chicago, Lightfoot drew a direct correlation to the start of remote learning.
