Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has issued a “call to arms” over the Supreme Court possibly overturning Roe v. Wade. Perhaps she should spend less time LARPing as a revolutionary and more time getting Chicago’s homicide problem under control.

In response to the leaked draft opinion from the court, Lightfoot warned the gay and transgender community that “the Supreme Court is coming for us next.” Lightfoot declared that this must be a “call to arms” and that “we will not surrender our rights without a fight — a fight to victory!”

Set aside the fact that the draft abortion decision has nothing to do with homosexual rights. This kind of irresponsible, violent-sounding rhetoric is unacceptable, and it would be roundly condemned had it come from, say, a Republican complaining about the 2020 election results. But, far more importantly, Lightfoot is trying to throw herself into the national political discussion while the city she is supposed to serve has spent the last two and a half years failing to deal with a surge in murders adequately.

Lightfoot took office in 2019. In 2020, Chicago saw 772 homicides and more than 3,200 shootings. In 2021, the Windy City had 797 homicides (the most since 1996) and more than 3,500 shootings. So far this year, the city has had 197 homicides. That includes 18 children, the youngest of whom was 8 years old. The oldest victim was 81.

This past weekend alone, six were killed and 18 others wounded. The weekend before that, eight were killed and 25 wounded.

For all the liberal consciousness about race and “black lives matter,” the fact that homicides disproportionately affect black people is an uncomfortable truth. Just 29% of Chicago residents are black, but black victims made up 81% of homicides in 2021 and 77% of homicides this year. Yet Lightfoot, who tries to present herself as a warrior for racial justice, can’t be bothered to take up this problem. Instead, she wants to fearmonger about abortion, even though nothing will change in the liberal state of Illinois.

But things will be changing in Illinois when it comes to crime. The state will eliminate cash bail at the start of next year, meaning that prosecutors will be saddled with a higher burden of proof to keep violent criminals behind bars. Lightfoot couldn't care less.

Lightfoot’s cavalier rhetoric would be embarrassing regardless of how well Chicago was doing. Given that homicides have surged under her watch and she doesn’t know how to handle the problem (or simply doesn’t care), that rhetoric becomes insulting. Chicago doesn’t need a “call to arms.” It needs a mayor who cares about public safety and ending Chicago’s violent reputation.