Chicago reporter William J. Kelly: Chicago is not safe for attendees to the 2024 Democrat National Convention

Kelly is in a legal battle with Chicago over the revocation of his media credentials

Chicago, Illinois - Chicago reporter William J. Kelly, who is in a legal battle with the City of Chicago over the unlawful revocation of his media credentials, says that Chicago is not safe for residents or attendees of the DNC National Convention in 2024. "Hopefully, the Democrats can negotiate a ceasefire," said Kelly reacting to the news that Chicago was selected to be the host city for the convention.

The veteran reporter says that, according to City of Chicago data, Chicago had an arrest rate of just 5% in 2022. "The murder arrest rate is at 32%. Criminal sexual assault at 3%, Robbery, and motor vehicle theft at 3%. How much worse will it get?"

Gov. Pritzker will join Mayor Lightfoot, Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson, and other city leaders to formally announce Chicago's selection and what it means for the city at a press conference this afternoon.

But Kelly says that the DNC must be held to account for why their progressive policies have so utterly failed voters in America's biggest cities. "Chicago hasn't had a Republican Mayor since 1931 so asking whether Democrat policies are responsible for the city's decline is fair game," Kelly says. "What will Chicago look like in 20 or 30 years? Will it still be standing? Will it be underwater? This is about whether Chicago will even be able to survive."

The news comes on the heels of terrible financial news for Chicago with the closure of four major Walmart locations, including a closure in what Fox News' Tucker Carlson called the "leafy, pretty" neighborhood of Lakeview. Carlson had expressed astonishment over a viral video of a woman attacked in front of her home in Lakeview. "The closure of these four Walmart locations is Mayor Lightfoot's parting gift to the city," Kelly says.

Kelly worries that Chicago's crime epidemic and economic decline will continue rapidly under Mayor Brandon Johnson. Kelly recently questioned mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson on his actions and voiced support for defunding the police and says that Johnson continues to be dishonest about the issue.

Today, Kelly is still in federal court fighting to have his city media credentials restored.

Kelly's spirited exchanges with Mayor Lightfoot on Chicago crime and the city's economic decline have regularly gone viral with millions of views, due to, in part, Lightfoot's violent reaction to Kelly's questions.

He is a native of Chicago's South Side and an Emmy award-winning producer. Earlier this year, Kelly sat down for a Tucker Carlson Today interview about Lightfoot's revocation of his media credentials and whether there is any hope left for Chicago. "I choose to say and fight," Kelly said.

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