Fox News Digital has been told by a Chicago business owner that he was forced to close his business due to skyrocketing criminal activity. This is just the latest in a long line of Illinois residents and businesses who have fled Illinois in recent years because of rising crime.
Gary Rabine, founder and owner of 13 businesses in the Rabine Group, said this week to Fox News Digital that he was driven by rising crime in Chicago in order to close his road paving business. His crews were repeatedly robbed in broad daylight even though he had added security.
“We would do thousands upon thousands of jobs in the city every year, but as we got more robbed, my people operating rollers, pavers, we got robbed. Our equipment would get stolen in broad day and there would usually a gun involved. It got dangerous and expensive.” Rabine stated to Fox News Digital.
Rabine stated that jobs were now twice as expensive because of the increased cost of insurance and security for “thousands of” jobs in the city. Rabine explained that higher rates ultimately cost ratepayers, many of whom have modest financial resources, and they ended up paying more to get utility services.
Rabine stated, “Eventually we said enough is enough.” “We stopped working down there. We stopped working for the gas company and the electric company, as well as the south side, west side, and eventually all of Chicago. These companies now have offices in other locations. They live in the suburbs of Chicago and work across the border in Wisconsin.
After citing the growing concern about crime in Chicago over the last few months, Ken Griffin, a billionaire, announced last week that he was moving Citadel Securities from Chicago to his hedge-fund company.
Griffin stated to the Wall Street Journal that “if people aren’t safe here they’re not going live here,” in April. “I have witnessed multiple colleagues being robbed at gunpoint. A colleague was stabbed while on his way to work. Numerous instances of burglary. That’s a very difficult background to attract talent to your city.
Fox News Digital’s Rabine stated that Citadel’s downtown location and the crime that has been prevalent there was likely to be the reason Citadel had difficulty hiring and keeping talent.
Rabine stated, “I am confident that Citadel is losing people.” “And I think that 50-60% of those people were raising their hands to say, “Get me out of here!”
Rabine said, “You want a great company culture. You need people who love being part of the team. They don’t want live in violent areas. They don’t want their children to be unable to walk safely to school and their wives and children can’t shop in beautiful environments like Michigan Avenue, which used to be the most safe place to go shopping.
Other companies, including Griffin and Rabine, have also decided to leave Chicago due to the rising crime rate.
Caterpillar, the construction and mining equipment giant, announced this month that it will be moving its headquarters from Deerfield (Illinois), a suburb of Chicago’s north shore, to Irving, Texas, just outside of Dallas.
Alfredo Ortiz (President and CEO of Job Creators Network) stated that Illinois has been hit with a “one-two punch” of Citadel and Caterpillar uprooting for Red States. Blue States need to follow the policies of the Red States in order to stop outflows and protect their economies. They should also make their states more economic friendly and safer.
Boeing, a global aerospace company, also announced May that it will move its headquarters from Chicago to Virginia, right outside Washington, D.C.
According to a survey done by Allied moving companies, Illinois saw a loss of more residents in 2021 than any other state.
The Illinois Policy Institute is a non-profit libertarian think tank. It published a December study that showed “more Illinoisans fled to other states between July 2020 and July 2021 than any other year in recorded historical records.”
Although many factors, including taxes, coronavirus locksdowns, and cost of living, have contributed to the decline in the population, Rabine tells Fox News Digital crime is a key driver and blames Chicago’s Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot as well as the Democratic Governor. J.B. Pritzker.
“Lightfoot, a lousy leader,” Rabine said, who ran as a Republican for governor in Illinois’s recent primary. “She doesn’t stand up for our community at all.”
Rabine also pointed out the damage Pritzker did by signing controversial legislation regarding criminal justice reform. This bill ended cash bail and was condemned by many law enforcement officials.
Rabine stated, “We must get this governor out.” “He’s a socialist Democrat and a lousy leader. He’s a terrible American.”
The offices of Mayor Lightfoot, Gov. Pritzker didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
According to statistics released earlier in the month, Chicago Police recorded 44 shootings that left at least 61 victims. These occurred from 6 p.m. on Friday through Monday of the Juneteenth holiday weekend. The extended weekend saw 10 deaths, according to the department.
Data from last month showed that Chicago’s reported violent crimes increased by 35% over the previous year.
