Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot highlighted problems with "toxicity in our public discourse" just over a week after the Democrat used strong language against conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas after the Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
While speaking at a news conference on Tuesday with other city officials and members of law enforcement regarding the passage of the U.S. Senate's Bipartisan Safer Communities Act on gun control, Lightfoot commented on Monday's shooting during a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, that left seven people dead and dozens more injured.
"Gun violence obviously is deep and widespread and pervasive," Lightfoot said. "We saw that play out again in Highland Park yesterday....In order for us to make meaningful progress, all of us have to be aligned."
"The toxicity in our public discourse is a thing that I think we should all be concerned about," Lightfoot added. "We have got to focus on what brings us together and not what tears us apart, and we've got to get back to respect for each other and respect for community. That's the thing that concerns me the most over the arc of the last two years."
Lightfoot, who in May urged a "call to arms" regarding the leaked draft opinion signaling the eventual overturning of Roe, criticized Justice Thomas at a June 25 rally for his role in overturning the landmark case when she was interrupted by someone in the crowd at Chicago's Grant Park. She responded by yelling, "F**k Clarence Thomas!"
Lightfoot later doubled down on her remark, tweeting a picture with the caption, "I said what I said" while pointing at a rally attendee with a shirt that read, "F**k Clarence Thomas."
Lightfoot reaffirmed her stance against Thomas in the aforementioned tweet, also using the moment to fundraise.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Lightfoot accepted endorsements from three sitting members of Congress—Bobby Rush, Danny Davis and Robin Kelly—after her comments, which she defended.
She also reportedly used the same "I said what I said" headline in a fundraising email.
"When someone in the crowd at an event this weekend yelled, 'F**k Clarence Thomas,' I yelled it right back. And I meant it," the mayor wrote in the email, according to the Sun-Times. "Clarence Thomas wants to make women and members of the LGBTQ+ community second-class citizens. His beliefs are a direct attack on my personhood, and I will condemn them EVERY CHANCE I GET."
Newsweek reached out to Lightfoot's office for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Nick Mordowanec is a Newsweek reporter based in Michigan. His focus is reporting on Ukraine and Russia, along with social ... Read more
