Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez is calling for the National Guard to be deployed to help relieve the city’s overburdened police force. Speaking on Newsmax TV’s Newsline on Monday, Lopez criticized local leaders for relying on symbolic policies while violence persists across Chicago neighborhoods.
“We need the National Guard to help take off the pressure from the Chicago Police Department, which is guarding some of the city’s assets,” Lopez said. He argued that National Guard troops could be used more effectively in neighborhoods, providing intelligence, training, and added manpower to assist officers on the ground.
Lopez took aim at Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor J.B. Pritzker, accusing them of being content with only minor improvements in public safety. “It’s interesting that the mayor and the governor have this threshold where they say, we’ve decreased crime just enough. We don’t need to go any further,” he said. “Well, we all say, let’s keep going.”
He pointed to Washington, D.C. as an example, citing an 84% reduction in crime. “Let’s go 12 days without a murder in the city of Chicago. Those are noble aspirations that we can work together with, if we choose to engage President Donald Trump,” Lopez said.
The alderman’s comments reflect growing frustration with the city’s public safety strategy, particularly following a Labor Day weekend that saw multiple shootings. Lopez emphasized that safety should not be a partisan issue, warning that the city’s residents continue to feel unsafe despite political reassurances.
His push for National Guard deployment follows months of tension between the mayor’s office and local officials who argue that more aggressive action is needed to curb violent crime and restore order.
