Chicago on Edge amid Violence, Protests, and Arrivals of Federal Agents

CHICAGO, KOMPAS.com — The city of Chicago is on edge as protests and a surge in gun violence in the city are accompanied by federal agents making their way to the windy city.

Chicago has been at the epicenter of violence and protests sparked by the death of George Floyd.

Now, America’s third-largest city is potentially expecting dozens of federal agents to be dispatched following a plan by President Donald Trump.

The plan emerged after days of protests over a statue of Christopher Columbus turned into a chaotic scene between police officers and protestors.

The chaos included police swinging batons and demonstrators hurling frozen water bottles, fireworks, and other projectiles at officers.

On Tuesday, a neighborhood was sent into a frenzy when bullets rang out from a car passing a gang member’s funeral.

The incident wounded 15 people and sent dozens running for safety. Tension in Chicago has grown enormously to a level that, if not unprecedented, has not been felt in quite some time.

“I’ve never seen things worse in this city than they are right now,” said the Rev. Michael Pfleger, a Roman Catholic priest and longtime activist on the city’s South Side.

Much of the strain stems from the fact that it remains unclear exactly what the federal officers will do here.

The plan seems to be a repeat of what happened in Kansas City, Missouri, where the administration sent officers to help quell violence after the shooting death of a young boy.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot sought to tamp down fear that the surge will resemble the kind of scene that unfolded in Portland, Oregon.

In Oregon, unidentified agents in camouflage have beaten unarmed protesters and stuffed some of them into unmarked vehicles.

Lightfoot said she has been told the US Attorney’s Office will supervise the additional agents supporting the Chicago offices of the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

But given the longstanding animosity between city officials and Trump, leaders from the mayor on down worry that those promises will not hold up.

City officials will be on guard for any “steps out of line,” particularly from agents with the Homeland Security Department, and they will not hesitate “to take the president to court," Lightfoot said.