Chicago Transit Authority Solves Violence... With Important Warning Sign Campaign

Chicago offers a feel-good measure to fight ctime on public transit

The Chicago Transit Authority has finally solved the rising violence and ended the dangerous conditions facing riders by launching a campaign to post little signs warning ne'er-do-wells that their violence won't be tolerated. Yep. That oughta do it.

The CTA has now posted its little signs, in cooperation with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, to put a final end to the violence, telling criminals "Violence on the CTA will NOT be tolerated." And to make doubly sure that the criminal behavior will end, the word "NOT" is printed in red!

The fecklessness of this little sign campaign is stunning. Do they really think that little paper signs will deter violent criminals?

As Chicago's Fox 32 reported, the signs aim to inform the criminal element that "prosecutors will seek pretrial detention for people accused of committing violent crimes on public transit."

The CTA distributed 7,000 of these signs across its busses, trains, stations, and other facilities.

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"In order to have a safe and thriving city, we need to have a safe public transportation system," Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke said in a statement.

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"The Cook County State's Attorney's Office is committed to doing everything we can to make our public transportation system the safest in the nation. We are putting up these signs to show how seriously we take these cases and to reinforce the consequences offenders will face for bringing violence onto the CTA."

CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen added, "Everyone deserves a safe and welcoming transit environment. These signs are a message to riders and employees that we're working together to ensure transit safety is prioritized at every step. More than ever before, we're investing in new strategies to ensure appropriate resources are available to riders and that action is taken to keep your journey safe."

The silliness of this campaign is hard to put into words. Mayor Brandon Johnson has made it clear that he is not interested in prosecuting crime in his city. So, how are a few thousand signs going to put an end to the rising crime and dangerous conditions that pay riders face every day?

Fortunately, Eileen O'Neill Burke, the recently elected Cook County State's Attorney, is not as reticent over prosecuting criminals. According to Fox32, Burke has filed felony charges in 483 transit-related crime cases and won pretrial detention in 83 percent of those cases. Over all, crime is down 30 percent on buses, trains and in stations, and the Red Line itself has seen a 76 percent drop.

This success occurred because of hard-nosed prosecution of crime, not because someone posted a handful of paper signs.

But the danger is still there. And no paper sign will curb it. We need more Burke's in Chicago and Cook County, and fewer Brandon Johnsons.

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