Far-Left Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is facing a backlash from members of the city council and others after his administration filed lawsuits against Hyundai and Kia for lacking more substantial anti-theft technology.
Democratic Alderman Raymond Lopez mocked the strategy during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” Monday morning, saying Brandon was taking a page “out of the socialist playbook” with his blaming the car companies instead of the criminals stealing them.
“Clearly, we don’t have a crime problem. We have a Kia problem in the city of Chicago, according to Mayor Johnson,” Lopez told Steve Doocy. “The numbers speak for themselves. 104% increase from last year, a 234% increase in vehicle thefts from two years ago, but yet it’s the car’s fault.”
“It’s the fact that they are so easily taken by criminals who run rampant in the city of Chicago, but we have yet to hear our mayor say anything, one word, about the criminals running rampant in our streets,” he continued. “And all he does in turn is lambast the media, lambast those who try to hold criminals accountable by playing word games.”
Fox News noted further:
Johnson’s office announced the lawsuit last week alleging that both companies failed to include “industry-standard engine immobilizers” in several models of vehicles, which resulted in a “steep rise” in crime.
The lawsuit claims the automakers did not include “vital anti-theft technology” in their U.S. cars between 2011 and 2022, and it did so while misleading customers that the vehicles had “advanced safety features.”
“The impact of car theft on Chicago residents can be deeply destabilizing, particularly for low- to middle-income workers who have fewer options for getting to work and taking care of their families,” Johnson said.
“The failure of Kia and Hyundai to install basic auto-theft prevention technology in these models is sheer negligence, and as a result, a citywide and nationwide crime spree around automobile theft has been unfolding right before our eyes,” he added.
He went on to claim that as the security “defect” in both brands spread across social media, thefts of those vehicles rose.
“Chicago’s answer to the Kia problem was to hand out those steering wheel column locks, The Club, as a way of helping our citizens, not necessarily prosecuting those repeat offenders who know that they could steal a car, sell it, or use it in crimes,” Lopez said. “I had a friend just last week whose car was stolen. It was used in 12 different robberies on the north side of Chicago.
“We know why they’re stealing these cars. We know what they’re doing with these cars, but the fact that we refuse to call out this behavior, and we’re giving cover to the criminals, seems to just be another liberal ploy,” he added. “And to be perfectly honest, a page from the socialist playbook, because we’re blaming the manufacturer of the cars rather than the criminals on the street.”
