Redistribution of wealth by way of crime seems to be the current pet strategy of the neo-Marxist left. Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot, if not the mastermind of this nefarious strategy in Chicago, appears to be an aiding and abetting contributor to the cause.
Two men were caught on camera staging a smash-and-grab at Joe Perillo’s Gold Coast Exotic Motor Cars on Dec. 11, according to CWBChicago. The criminals escaped with over $1 million in luxury watches. Perillo, a well-known Chicago businessman, appeared on local and national TV news programs to demand that the city take immediate steps to curb crime.
“It’s only a fool who keeps doing things the same way and expects different results,” Perillo said, according to CWB. “If the Mayor and Kim Foxx don’t do anything to get control of this, it’s not going to get better. It’s going to get worse.”
Well, Mr. Perillo, hold on because it’s probably going to get a lot worse before it gets better. Neo-Marxist groups, like BLM, are dug in like ticks on a hound in Chicago and around the country. Back in August 2020, in one example, Ariel Atkins, a BLM organizer, declared open war on retailers in a rally outside of the South Loop police station, as reported by The U.S. Sun.
“I don’t care if someone decides to loot a Gucci or a Macy’s or a Nike store because that makes sure that person eats, that makes sure that person has clothes,” Atkins said. “That is reparations.”
The Viet Cong, too, were dug in on their home turf. We know how that went.
Joe Perillo seems to sense as much. “If they don’t do anything about this, they’re going to lose a lot of businesses,” said Perillo. “They lost Macy’s. They’re losing Neiman Marcus. They may lose this store,” reported CWB.
Mayor Lightfoot must have been listening to Perillo. And she didn’t like what she heard.
Lightfoot visited Perillo’s showroom at 834 North Rush Street just days after the smash-and-grab. She wasn’t shopping for a car.
Lightfoot met with Perillo, and apparently, it did not go well. One source claimed that Perillo and Lightfoot got in a fight, and the mayor “walked out,” according to CWB. Another source source confirmed, saying Lightfoot called Perillo an “idiot” as she headed out the door.
A day or two later, Perillo’s business got another visitor. This time it was an inspector from the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection. The inspector slapped Perillo’s dealership with four tickets for six violations on December 17. Two of the alleged violations were health-related.
When contacted, a representative for Lightfoot said the inspector was following up on an anonymous complaint received on December 15 about a public health violation. “It was unrelated to the mayor’s meeting with Mr. Perillo,” the representative said.
I don’t know about you, but anonymous complaints shoot a giant red flag up the flagpole for me. There’s no way to know at this point if the inspector was sent on Lightfoot’s behalf in order to let Perillo know who’s really in charge.
Lightfoot has been at odds at times with neo-Marxists groups that don’t think she has done enough for the radical left, but this doesn’t mean that she isn’t sympathetic to the cause. She ran as a progressive, and it is Chicago after all — a Soros funded nightmare. If Lightfoot didn’t sic the inspector on Perillo, maybe Kim Foxx did.
One thing is fairly certain: Lightfoot’s a political opportunist who loves power, a neo-Marxist genetic trait. She’ll ally with whoever she has to in order to get what she wants. And, again, it is Chicago.
Here’s my point: The radical left sees crimes, such as smash-and-grabs, as economic justice. The criminals in leftist cities, therefore, do not fear repercussions. But that isn’t enough in the neo-Marxist redistribution scheme. The wealthy — Perillo’s dealership caters to those who are in the market for Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini and Bentley — are on the hook for funding both the “oppressed” and the government. It’s a win-win for them and a lose-lose for everybody else.
Democrats are well-known to favor more and more taxes. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if cities like Chicago issue a lot of tickets as well. That’s fodder for another article.
Whatever the case, these kinds of policies are against the people, not the rich or the poor but all of the people. And radicals of any ilk will step on anybody and everybody to get what they want: power. It’s their drug of choice, and it is highly addictive.
Good luck, Mr. Perillo. Have you considered relocating to Florida? Maybe Texas?