The debate over whether to deploy the National Guard to Chicago continues to spark heated reactions. Governor J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson blasted the idea as unnecessary and politically motivated, while President Trump said the move would be a response to rampant lawlessness and unsafe streets.
Ted Dabrowski, president of Wirepoints, joined Chicago’s Morning Answer to argue that Chicago’s leaders have normalized violence for decades. He said crime may fluctuate year to year, but the underlying problem is that residents in large parts of the city never feel safe. “Trump is doing something different,” Dabrowski noted. “He cares about whether cities are truly safe, not just whether statistics show a slight improvement.”
Dabrowski pointed to long-standing disparities between neighborhoods. A recent Northwestern University study found children in low-opportunity areas are up to 20 times more likely to be shot than peers in affluent communities. “If those numbers were happening on the North Shore tomorrow, everyone would call it an emergency,” Dabrowski said. “But because it’s the South and West Sides, politicians look away.”
While he acknowledged the National Guard would only be a short-term step, Dabrowski argued it would signal that state and federal leaders care about protecting vulnerable residents. Long-term, he said, the city and state must reverse policies that have weakened law enforcement—such as eliminating bail, restricting police pursuits, and scrapping tools like ShotSpotter. “We’ve become apologists for criminals,” Dabrowski said, warning that policies backed by Pritzker and Johnson have only made the situation worse.
Dabrowski also stressed the need for economic growth, noting Chicago has had the weakest expansion of any major U.S. city since Pritzker took office. Without jobs and investment, he said, violence will continue to thrive. “We need to bring hope and opportunity to these communities,” Dabrowski said. “Otherwise, the cycle of crime will never end.”