Mayor 6.6 says teen mob actions are about root causes. The reality is they’re about intimidation
The weather forecast in Chicago now includes more than rain, heat, and humidity. It includes the possibility of a teen takeover.
As summer settles in, Chicagoans once again find themselves checking social media to see where the next mob will descend. Memorial Day brought more than 1,000 young people swarming Hyde Park. Streets were blocked. Cars were climbed on. Fights broke out. Gunfire followed. In Little Italy, another gathering spiraled into chaos, ending with multiple police officers being struck by a vehicle driven by an armed 18-year-old.
And now, just as takeover season gets underway, we’ve lost Chicago Police Department (CPD) Chief Larry Snelling, creating uncertainty about leadership during one of the most challenging periods for public safety. That should concern every Chicagoan who wants to be able to enjoy a summer evening without wondering whether the next viral social-media summons will turn a neighborhood into a war zone.
Naturally, Mayor Brandon Johnson — Mayor 6.6, as we call him — has an explanation. Like many progressive politicians, academics, and activists, he argues these incidents are rooted in a lack of opportunity, insufficient youth programming, inadequate “safe spaces,” lingering effects of COVID, poverty, mental-health challenges, and other social factors. A recent City Journal article assembled an impressive catalog of these explanations. We are told the kids are lonely. We are told they need a connection. We are told they need more gathering places. We are told they are acting out because of economic hardship. We are even told that capitalism itself is somehow responsible.
The problem is that none of those explanations adequately explain what everyone can plainly see.
People looking for friendship do not typically shut down Lake Shore Drive. People searching for human connection do not usually climb on police vehicles, attack businesses, block traffic, assault strangers, loot stores, and livestream the entire experience for social-media clout.
What City Journal correctly identifies is that these events are fundamentally about intimidation. The point is not merely to gather. The point is to dominate public space, demonstrate power, create chaos, and show everyone else who controls the streets.
That may sound harsh, but ask the business owner who has to lock the doors. Ask the family trying to get home. Ask the tourist who suddenly finds himself surrounded by hundreds of screaming strangers. Ask the police officers being pelted with objects while trying to restore order. The message being sent is obvious: this space belongs to us now, and there is nothing you can do about it.
The tragedy is that many of the young people participating probably don’t fully understand the consequences of what they are doing. Teenagers have always tested limits. That’s one reason civilized societies created institutions that impose discipline and teach responsibility. Families did it. Schools did it. Churches did it. Community organizations did it. Police and juvenile courts did it, when necessary.
Tragically, over the last several decades, many of those institutions have been weakened or delegitimized. Schools increasingly hesitate to discipline students. Parents are often absent or overwhelmed. Churches have lost influence. Juvenile justice systems focus more on avoiding consequences than imposing them. Police officers know that every enforcement action can become a viral video, a political controversy, and a career-ender.
The result is exactly what common sense would predict: More young people testing boundaries because fewer boundaries exist.
Chicago has been especially vulnerable because its political leadership has often sent mixed messages. Johnson famously argued young people have been “starved of opportunities.” He has criticized traditional law enforcement approaches and emphasized root causes. Root causes matter, of course. But root causes are not an excuse for criminal behavior.
A teenager who steals a car, still stole a car. A teenager who assaults a police officer, still assaulted a police officer. A teenager who helps terrorize a neighborhood is still responsible for helping terrorize a neighborhood.
Teen takeovers are not occurring in a vacuum. They occur against the backdrop of years of de-policing, de-prosecution, and declining accountability. When young people repeatedly see others avoid meaningful consequences, many conclude that the rules are optional.
That conclusion has consequences far beyond a few chaotic summer nights. Businesses leave. Investors stay away. Families move elsewhere and taxpayers flee. And when taxpayers flee, the bill gets dumped on whoever remains.
We are already seeing the results. A recent Tribune story described a woman who purchased a modest $200,000 home in Cook (Crook) County and was stunned by a property tax bill approaching $17,000. That’s the kind of tax burden once associated with luxury properties in neighborhoods like Lincoln Park. Today, it is increasingly becoming a reality for ordinary homeowners trying to raise families in working-class communities. Every family driven away by crime, disorder, or fear makes that problem worse.
That is the ultimate irony of the progressive approach. The same politicians who claim to be protecting vulnerable communities are often implementing policies that accelerate the departure of businesses, employers, homeowners, and taxpayers. The people left behind are then forced to shoulder ever-higher costs for ever-worsening services.
Teen takeovers are not a mystery. They are not a puzzle requiring another task force, another consultant, or another youth summit. They are what happens when a society stops enforcing standards of behavior and starts making excuses for those who violate them.
Mayor 6.6 wants to talk about root causes. Fine. Here’s a root cause: When people believe there are no consequences, they behave accordingly.
Until Chicago restores accountability — for offenders, for parents, and for public officials who refuse to confront reality — we should expect more takeovers, more disorder, and more residents quietly deciding that their future lies somewhere else.
George Shay is a lifelong Chicagoan, writer, and activist fighting to preserve the city he loves from the politicians, bureaucrats, and ideologues driving it into decline. Follow his work on Substack at Common Sense by George Shay.
