The aldermen said parts of the Back of the Yards and Brighton Park neighborhoods in his ward had become “a virtual warzone.”
“We can’t expect our police, and I don’t fault them at all, to be able to control this,” he said. “Half our neighborhoods are already obliterated. It’s too late.”
Lopez said he feared looters would eventually start targeting homes after ransacking businesses throughout the city.
“Once they’re done looting and rioting and whatever’s going to happen tonight, God help us, what happens when they start going after residents? Going into the neighborhoods? Once they start trying to break down people’s doors, if they think they’ve got something,” he said.
“We know that people are here to antagonize and incite, and you’ve got them all pumped tonight, today. They’re not going to go to bed at 8 o’clock. They’re going to turn their focus on the neighborhoods. I’ve got gang-bangers with AK-47s walking around right now, just waiting to settle some scores. What are we going to do, and what do we tell residents, other than good faith people stand up? It’s not going to be enough,” Lopez added.
When Lopez finished talking on the conference call, Lightfoot declined to respond, and tried to move on to another alderman, but Lopez demanded an answer.
“It’s not something you ignore. This is a question that I have,” Lopez said.
That’s when the call turned profane.
“I think you’re 100% full of s***, is what I think,” Lightfoot said.
Lopez was infuriated.
“F*** you, then. Who are you to tell me I’m full of s***?” he said. “Maybe you should come out and see what’s going on.”
The mayor vehemently denied protecting downtown at the expense of the neighborhoods.
“If you think we’re not ready, and we stood by and let the neighborhoods go up, there’s nothing intelligent that I could say to you,” she said. “That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. I understand you want to preen.”
“Mayor, you need to check your f***ing attitude. That’s what you need to do,” Lopez shot back.
At that point, several other aldermen interjected in an effort to calm nerves, with one alderman telling Lopez, “Ray, cut it out, please. Calm down, please.”