Two stories out of America’s heartland this week offer a jarring contrast — one a picture of futility, the other of anticipation. Both center on crime, public safety, and how leaders respond when their communities are under siege.
In Illinois, federal agents pressed forward with Operation Midway Blitz, rounding up criminal illegals despite open hostility from Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. The operation highlights the chasm between Washington’s mandate to secure the public and Illinois’ determination to double down on its “sanctuary” posture.
One case stood out: a violent gang member, fresh out of prison after a 20-year stretch, was released to the streets instead of being held for ICE pickup despite a lawful detainer. It took federal officers three days to apprehend him again. That’s three days too long for communities already strained under Chicago’s crime wave.
“We just offered any of them that want to come in a free lunch plate just to say thank you for coming in and helping with the crime issue,” says a Memphis restaurant owner on the federal deployment.
“I’m very concerned about crime, like everybody else.” pic.twitter.com/x4ew1A6BFk
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 16, 2025
And what’s the result of Illinois’ posture toward crime? Business as usual. This week, tragedy struck Berwyn, a suburb of Chicago, when a man opened fire outside Lincoln Middle School, killing two people before turning the gun on himself.
Police called it a “domestic-related” incident, and while students were spared, the symbolism is sickening. Violence is so woven into the fabric of Chicagoland that when no child is hit by gunfire outside a school, officials call it “rare” and fortunate. The real rarity should be crime itself — not the miracle of a spared classroom.
Contrast that with Memphis, Tennessee, where the National Guard’s arrival has been greeted not with resistance, but with gratitude. President Trump’s decision to deploy the Guard has already sparked a wave of local support. Restaurants across the city are offering free meals to service members as a gesture of thanks.
The Rum Boogie Café promised complimentary pulled pork sandwiches, Mortimer’s pledged full lunch plates, and Elwood’s Shack declared it “the right thing to do.” Citizens are rallying around the men and women tasked with restoring order — the very picture of what happens when communities embrace, rather than obstruct, those committed to public safety.
The juxtaposition could not be sharper. In Illinois, citizens groan under leaders who dismiss the pleas for security, clinging to political games while the body count rises. Proverbs 29:2 comes to mind: “When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan.” In Memphis, there is rejoicing. There is hope. And there is faith that decisive action — not platitudes — can make their city safer.
