Pritzker Heckled, Issues Executive Order on Guns
Governor JB Pritzker joins local leaders to break ground on the new A.E.R.O. Special Education Campus in south suburban Burbank. A group of anti-mask, anti-vaccine protestors heckled Pritzker outside the event.
When Governor JB Pritzker took the stage Monday at an outdoor event celebrating the groundbreaking of the new A.E.R.O. Special Education Cooperative in Burbank near Midway Airport, there was an interesting sound of hecklers in the background.
In a Facebook post by Rep. Mike Zalewski (D-Riverside), he said the protestors were a group of supporters of gubernatorial candidate Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia). Bailey has been outspoken in his criticism of Pritzker’s executive orders related to the pandemic and sued the Governor over his actions last year.
Zalewski wrote the protestors “loudly heckled, changed, and jeered during the entire program,” which included two special needs children.
Zalewski was, rightfully, frustrated with the group.
“Today, a select few made it clear there’s nothing they won’t put their personal politics above,” he wrote. “And that’s saying a helluva lot.”
I haven’t been able to confirm if Bailey’s campaign was directly involved with organizing the protestors, but a vague tweet from Bailey’s campaign around the time of the event kind of erases the doubt.
Pritzker, meanwhile, issued an executive order Monday declaring gun violence a public health crisis in the state and said he would increase funding for violence-prevention programs in future state budgets.
“Gun violence is devastating communities, neighborhoods, blocks and families,” Pritzker said Monday. “Mothers, fathers, brothers, friends, are experiencing senseless tragedies in the deaths and serious injuries of their loved ones. This work is urgent.”
Pritzker said the current state budget includes $50 million in violence prevention programs and claims he wants another $100 million each of the next two years.
Meanwhile, the City of Chicago has reported 675 murders so far this year.
