Kendall County Times

Republican state Sen. Sue Rezin is alerting Springfield lawmakers about the vibes she’s says she's getting from constituents these days.

“I recently held a series of town halls and the #1 issue was the ongoing violence in Chicago and suburbs,” Rezin recently posted on Twitter. “People rightfully don’t feel safe.”

Rezin argues all the violence speaks for itself, including a recent violent attack on a CTA bus driver in Chicago’s downtown area.

“It’s terrible that this CTA driver, who was just doing his job, was violently attacked,” she added. “Do you think downtown Chicago is safe at night?”

According to ABC7 News, the still unidentified 49-year-old driver was ultimately hospitalized at Northwestern Memorial with bruises to his face and body after being attacked and beaten by at least two people while inspecting his bus after hearing a loud noise in the 100 block of North Michigan Avenue.

Police have since charged a 15-year-old boy with a felony count of aggravated battery of a transit employee and disorderly conduct in connection with the incident.

That brazen attack comes not long after another, 62-year-old CTA train operator was attacked earlier this month after two teenagers beat him and then ran away onto the Dan Ryan Expressway. Investigators said the employee got into an argument with two female teens while the train was stalled near the Garfield station, 220 W. Garfield Ave.

With violence spiking across much of the city and showing few signs of slowing down, Chicago Police authorities recently took the drastic step of canceling days off for officers, Fox32 Chicago reported.

"To enhance public safety and to address current crime patterns, all full-duty sworn members will have one regular day off cancelled," Sgt. Rocco Alioto said in a statement.

On the same night when the bus driver was attacked in the downtown area, at least 22 juveniles were arrested after crowds swarmed Millennium Park, ending in a 15-year-old boy being shot and two replica firearms being recovered.

"We do have some folks who are acting a fool and we will not tolerate that, and I'm calling on the parents and guardians to step up and do your part. We want our young people to enjoy the city – it is their city after all, but they’ve got to do it in a way that is respectful to the rights of others," Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.

CTA union president Keith Hill said he wants to see more police presence and stiffer penalties.

"Our drivers are furious," Hill said, according to Fox32. "They are beyond scared, they are upset they are sitting ducks in that seat. The most important thing is we need police presence, we need stiffer penalties. You can ban a person from going into a store or a sports event, but we can’t ban nobody from taking public transportation no matter how many times they assault us?"

On the same weekend  the driver was attacked in the Loop, a 12-year-old girl was shot in the back while standing in the same area, NBC5 Chicago reported.

Authorities say that the girl was part of a large group of teens near North Michigan Avenue when a single gunshot rang out. The girl was listed in serious condition and no suspects are known to be in custody.

With Cook County having already topped 1,000 homicides this year, a 19-year-old woman was recently killed in a shooting in a Northwest Side alley that also left two others critically wounded, according to ABC7.

Police said Meagan Bilbo was pronounced dead at Community First Hospital, and the two other 23-year-old male victims remain hospitalized.

No one is in custody.

In all, more than 30 people were shot over the Dec. 6 weekend in Chicago, including nine who were killed, WTTW reported.