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CHICAGO: Mayoral candidate Raymond Lopez Wednesday denounced Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s concentrating on of the Arab and Muslim group as “disgusting and tasteless,” and vowed to launch a probe into her actions which has price lots of of job losses and thousands and thousands in earnings and tax income.
Lopez added that his administration would restore the group’s festivals and cultural presence in America’s second largest metropolis.
Final June, a job pressure of inspectors and police forcibly closed greater than 150 Arab- and Muslim-owned companies in what critics known as a misguided effort by Lightfoot to crack down on street-gang violence. As a result of many of the shops are open 24 hours a day, street-gang members would typically run into them in the midst of the evening to flee police when violence occurred.
Lopez, the one Hispanic who has introduced his candidacy within the February 28, 2023 Chicago election, made these feedback throughout a stay radio interview on “The Ray Hanania Present” which broadcasts stay on the US Arab Radio Community and is sponsored by Arab Information.
“I’m completely a buddy to the Arab group not simply in phrase however in motion and I’ll proceed to be that buddy,” Lopez stated, including he would work with Arab People to deliver again the Arabesque Competition which was closed by former Mayor Rahm Israel Emanuel in 2011, and was positive Lightfoot’s discriminatory insurance policies would additionally finish.
“That simply exhibits how tone deaf and clueless Lori Lightfoot is in addressing the number-one situation within the metropolis of Chicago which is the out-of-control crime and violence that we see, and responsible the house owners of fuel stations and shops just because that’s the place the crime ended up at, of their parking heaps or subsequent to them of their sidewalks. That was an entire miscalculation on her half. I feel personally she felt the Arab group can be a straightforward group to focus on within the Black group as a result of she was simply fueling the fires that exist with the animosity that’s in some neighborhoods.”
Chicago has seen a surge in street-gang gun-related homicides throughout Lightfoot’s three years in workplace and the mayor has been unable to cease the rise.
Lopez joined Arab companies final September to denounce the mayor’s actions, forcing her to reopen all of the shops the next day after many have been closed for greater than three months.
“All of the violations, the complaints and questions vanished in a single day,” Lopez noticed, after the Arab group held a press convention to show her actions.
“We all know the Arab group is simply as integral as any immigrant group. This week we’re celebrating the Polish group, my Mexican group … we did the Irish group in March. We’re all a part of the material. And to only pull on one thread and say they’re the issue is disgusting and tasteless to say the least.”
Lopez additionally promised to work with the Arab and Muslim group to revive the annual Chicago Arab competition, Arabesque, which was shut down by Lightfoot’s predecessor Emanuel in certainly one of his first official acts after turning into mayor in 2011.
Emanuel then proceeded to shut the Chicago Arab Advisory Fee and excluded Arabs from his administration. Lightfoot had promised to work with Arab People throughout her marketing campaign to succeed Emanuel, however did nothing when she was elected mayor in Might 2019.
“We all know that the Arab group and the Arab voter is oftentimes taken as a right. I for one grew up with Arabs in my neighborhood … We got here up collectively in highschool. I’m no stranger to the Arab group. And I stay up for once we can have the Arab competition once more and we are able to rejoice, which is what I imagine … is the quintessential Chicago nature, to rejoice our ethnic variety to ask all communities to style our meals, hear our music and revel in our good firm,” Lopez stated.
“And there’s no motive that the Arab group can’t be the identical a part of that custom because the Mexican group, the Chinese language group that (have) their festivals … the Korean group and so forth and so forth like so many communities all through town. We have to get again to celebrating our variety as a result of really that’s the one factor that all of us have in widespread. We’re all from in every single place. There is no such thing as a motive to discriminate and decide sides. We will stay below one roof and revel in one another, and we’ll do this once more quickly.”
Lopez stated “there ought to be a spot for everybody on the metropolis authorities desk” and they need to really feel welcome as is the case now in Chicago.
“And the thousands and thousands of {dollars} that that these closures price not solely town of Chicago however (additionally) the small enterprise house owners who have been impacted, and for no motive apart from (to) attempt to discover one thing unsuitable, attempt to discover one thing to write down a ticket on, attempt to discover one thing to justify this motion. Authorities shouldn’t be within the enterprise of victimizing folks simply to create a story,” Lopez stated.
Lopez acknowledged the closures price town of Chicago thousands and thousands of {dollars} in misplaced tax revenues for gasoline and gross sales. It additionally resulted within the layoff of lots of of staff who labored on the Arab-owned shops.
Hassan Nijem of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce stated that most of the Arab-owned fuel station house owners misplaced on common $70,000 a month in revenues. Most of the shops have been closed for 2 to a few months and have by no means been reimbursed by town for the misplaced earnings.
Lopez stated he would be part of different aldermen together with Gilbert Villegas and Silvana Tabares in conducting a public discussion board on Monday, Might 9, at Chicago’s Islamic Group Middle of Illinois to probe Lightfoot’s actions in opposition to Arab and Muslim enterprise house owners.
He additionally stated the Chicagoland information media must do a greater job scrutinizing Lightfoot’s actions together with in opposition to minority teams like Arab People.
Lightfoot has declined requests for interviews from Arab Information.
The Ray Hanania Radio Present is broadcast on the US Arab Radio Community and sponsored by Arab Information stay each Wednesday at 5 p.m. EST in Detroit on WNZK AM 690, in Washington D.C. on WDMV AM 700. It’s rebroadcast on Thursdays at 12 midday in Chicago on WNWI AM 1080.
For the podcast and extra data on the radio present go to: ArabNews.com/rayradioshow.
Take heed to the Ray Hanania podcast right here.
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