A couple who were violently targeted in Chicago’s out-of-control ‘teen riots’ have condemned their attackers for trying ‘to kill us’ – after an Illinois state senator defended the mob for protesting ‘against poverty and segregation’.
Terrifying footage caught the moment on Saturday evening when Ashley, 20, and DJ, 22, were swarmed by teen rioters after they stepped out on the streets of Chicago.
The young couple – who chose not to reveal their full names – said the unprovoked attack was ‘completely random’ – but state senator Robert Peters took to Twitter the next day to come out behind the mob.
‘I would look at the behavior of young people as a political act and statement. It’s a mass protest against poverty and segregation,’ he said in the post, which sparked widespread outrage.
The shocking scenes come after an uncontrolled mob of teenagers torched downtown Chicago, leading to at least two shootings and over a dozen arrests.
Speaking out after they found themselves in the midst of the terrifying mob, Ashley and DJ told Fox News their attackers warned them ‘they were going to kill us’.
The couple said they were crowded by the rioters after an evening out shopping, before ‘everything went crazy’ and Ashley was pushed to the ground.
After DJ confronted her attackers, the two were quickly overrun, as the teen agitators beat the pair and stole their shoes, phones, a pair of sunglasses, an Apple Watch, and a hat.
‘I have a black eye,’ added DJ. ‘My face is messed up. Shoulder is pretty f***** up too, it’s out of place. My back is sore.’
The terrifying attack came as droves of young rioters descended on the Windy City, causing widespread mayhem and looting.
Footage from the evening of chaos saw teenagers jumping on and smashing a bus, while others erupted into a mass brawl as Millennium Park became the epicenter of the frenzy.
Gunshots rang out through the city, and two teens, aged 16 and 17, were shot in the carnage. In total, 15 people were arrested following the weekend of mayhem, while the riots also saw numerous vehicles seized and torched on the streets.
Despite the significant damage caused by the bedlam, state senator Peters, who counts parts of Chicago within his constituency, brushed off the ugly scenes in a widely criticized social media post.
He said: ‘Since I’m a glutton for punishment and I’m sure I’m gonna get the most unhinged, crime weirdo replies but: I would look at the behavior of young people as a political act and statement.
‘It’s a mass protest against poverty and segregation.’
In anticipation of the backlash to his stance, Peters added: ‘Rest in peace to my mentions.’
His defense of the protestors flew in the face of comments made by the young couple as they recalled their ordeal, with DJ describing the rioters as ‘young and dumb’.
He added that the violent attackers were ‘trying to prove a point for nothing.’
Peters also faced severe backlash to his outlandish tweet online, with some even calling for him to leave office over the stance.
‘Your attempt at gaslighting citizens is beyond insulting,’ said former congressional candidate Jack Lombardi II. ‘The way I see it, you are A-Okay with what happened to this woman on Friday.
‘And for that, you must resign.’
Others branded his statement ‘pathetic’, with one commenting: ‘We will never have law and order as long as criminals are applauded instead of punished.’
‘Help me understand where this goes next,’ added another. ‘Peaceful protests should be encouraged. Violent protests need to be condemned and the perps prosecuted to the full extent of the law.’
Radio host Tara Servatius also waded into the elected official’s controversial statement, where she referenced the attack on the young couple by saying: ‘They beat an innocent bystander (a woman) for fun because she happened to be standing near the door.’
Not everyone disagreed with Peters’ stance, however, as outgoing Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot, who was recently voted out of office, told a local reporter that she believed calling the ugly scenes ‘mayhem’ was incorrect.
‘The mass majority of the young people who came downtown, came downtown because there was great weather and it was an opportunity to enjoy the city,’ she added.
‘That’s absolutely, entirely appropriate… There are a few that came with different intentions.
‘They have and they will be dealt with. But I’m not going to use your language, which I think is wrong, to say there’s “mayhem”‘.
Chicago’s new mayor-elect Brandon Johnson, 47, also weighed in.
He said Sunday that he does not ‘condone the destructive activity’ and that it is ‘unacceptable and has no place’ in the Windy City.
Johnson continued by insisting that the destruction should not be used to vilify the group, adding: ‘It is not constructive to demonize youth who have otherwise been starved of opportunities in their own communities.’
Despite mass outrage over the out of control rioters, Johnson said he thinks the only path forward is to ‘work together’ to offer kids safer spaces.
‘Our city must work together to create spaces for youth to gather safely and responsibly, under adult guidance and supervision, to ensure that every part of our city remains welcome for both residents and visitors,’ he said in a statement.
I too, have always “ protested against poverty “ I WORK to earn a living !