Cook County State’s Attorney, Kim Foxx, got into a “mutual verbal confrontation” with a driver while on her daily walk through her leafy suburban enclave Friday Morning. The driver yelled for her to get off the road. Foxx “flipped” the driver off. The driver threw a cup filled with soda at Foxx. Those are just the basics.
The driver, William Swetz, was arrested later and charged with two felonies, Aggravated Battery and Aggravated Assault. Foxx has refused to charge violent criminals for felonies. There were shootouts where she claimed “mutual combat” was the reason she refused to charge the shooters.
If you read the story linked above, you will realize that this ridiculous case only rises to the level of Foxx and Swetz taking part in mutual anger management through restorative justice and sitting at a Peace Circle. The same things she advocates for actual crime victims. Her heart bleeds for the violent criminals in Chicago. But now she is a victim, ready, willing, and able to prosecute (persecute?) over a cup of soda.
It appears only she and she alone can be the victim of a “crime” and only she can approve felony charges for herself. Real crime victims be damned. Foxx only cares about herself. She does not care about the victims of violent crime or their surviving families.
This case should be assigned to a Special Prosecutor, as Foxx and her office have a blatant conflict of interest. Better, it should be dropped. Both Foxx and Swetz mutually publicly embarrassed themselves and provided the public with much needed humor at her expense. Maybe after she leaves office, she can go on the comedy circuit or become a circus clown. She has plenty of contacts in the entertainment industry.
In other news, former alderman, Ed Burke, the “Dean of the City Council”, was sentenced to 2 years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a $2 million dollar fine over his conviction on corruption charges. He could have faced anywhere between 61/2 to 8 years per sentencing guidelines. Burke must report to prison in September.
Noted Chicago philanthropist, Ann Lurie passed away at age 79. “Ann was the president of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Foundation, a private philanthropic foundation in Chicago that provides funding for medical treatment, research, education and prevention.” (Fox 32) Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago (former Children’s Memorial) is named after her and her late husband because of the $100 million dollar contribution the foundation made to help build the hospital.
The list of charities and non-profits the foundation she ran is too long to list here. She and her late husband did great things for the people of this city. Ann Lurie was a remarkable woman and Chicago is a better place because of her and her late husband.