“Enough is Enough” – Joe Perillo, Multimillion Dollar Chicago Robbery Victim

Photo Credit: WFLD Chicago

Amidst the daily shooting chaos in Chicago, other lesser crime news rarely gets much attention.

Last week’s announcement Cook County has had 1000 homicides this year kind of sucks the air out of everything else. That seems like alot doesn’t it? I am sure the city is swinging into action to combat these crimes. Haaaaa, that is a good one. I crack myself up at times.

Out of the 1000 homicides, the city of Chicago contributed 800 and 4372 humans have been shot so far this year with only two weeks to go to keep those record setting numbers up. These numbers are the highest in the last 11 years and in fact are double the rate from 2010-2015.

Well behind those murder numbers, are record numbers of car jackings, and armed robberies to include daylight robberies, looting and smash and grab thefts into Neiman Marcus, Canada Goose, Foot Locker and Game Stop on the Chicago Magnificent Mile in November and December.

It is a nationwide problem, and we are witnessing all that Defund the Police and anti-police sentiment touted a year or so back by a small segment of society. We have all heard the amazing stories this fall of organized California store looters not being impeded, lack of support for police action, and lack of prosecution in L.A. and San Francisco.

The head of the LAPD Police Union told Fox News last week that city is like “The Purge” movie right now, and people should avoid visiting L.A. for the holidays as the police can’t keep them safe.

Other major cities have also been setting new homicide records this year. Is Chicago now experiencing a year-round Purge attitude by criminals? All crime all the time with no consequences or prosecution?

On Saturday, 11 December 2021 two desperados came into the Gold Coast Exotic Motor Cars business on Rush Street in Chicago daylight hours. One stayed by the door holding a gun, and the other took a hammer to smash jewelry display cases, and according to multiple sources took several exotic watches valued at two million dollars. Repeating- two million dollars smashed and grabbed in 30 seconds. Patrons including children were present.

Co-owner Joe Perillo told several news sources his staff had concealed firearms at the time of the armed robbery, and if the armed door guard had pointed his weapon would have been engaged by staff to protect their lives and the lives of the patrons. Luckily that situation did not develop, and the robbers fled, pursued down the street by store staff.

I listened to Joe Perillo being interviewed on AM 560 The Answer radio show with Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson today, and Perillo echoed his sentiments he provided TV news reporters this weekend when he announced, “Enough is enough.”

He said he was quite angry when he first said it, but since Saturday he has been bombarded with calls and emails from people across the nation supporting his sentiment and stating they too are fed up with the rampant crime and lack of backbone being shown towards supporting police and pursuing crime.

Perillo may have rung the bell many people have been waiting to hear.

He pointed out how the city of Chicago is apparently allowing, if not encouraging, thieves and criminals, and he is tired of it. At one point in the radio interview, he quite correctly said “If my people had to shoot, I would have been sued.”

He blamed much of the city’s problems on the mayor Lori Light foot and famous Kim Foxx, the Cook County State’s Attorney, for the lawless attitude by young people who see no consequences for their behavior.

Perillo praised the Chicago Police, but bemoaned the lack of support they get from the politicians and when they are being told to “stand down” in the face of crime.

The Mayor of Chicago (I don’t like to repeat her name three times because it might cause either Bloody Mary or Beetlejuice to appear) just last week, came out with her off the cuff solution to these crimes when she said- she is disappointed retail businesses don’t take crime more serious by hiring security guards (who can’t interfere for risk of lawsuits) and having cameras that actually work.

Are ya kidding me? The businesses are to blame? I guess they should be accountable for offering shiny things for sale too, and if a thief cuts their hand smashing the glass, they will surely sue the business too. What about the city getting active in crime prevention? How about blaming the actual perpetrators? The Cook County liberals did not even condemn the riots or looting last year until it was down to just a trickle and a presidential election was looming.

A small percentage of people are committing huge numbers of crimes- Chi-town murders added up to more deaths than LA and NYC combined during the last two years. Go ahead and admit your in-city criminals are out of control. I’ll wait.

Perillo said he has travelled overseas extensively in the last 45 days and the world’s perception of Chicago is it is chock full of armed violence. He said whenever he told people he was from Chicago, people in Europe asked “Do you have to have a gun to go out in your yard?”

Hopefully Mr Perillo’s cry of “Enough is enough” will be taken up by the rest of the nation who are watching the rampant crime in their own neighborhoods, seeing nationwide homicide rates up 40% in the last eight years and wondering “when will someone do something?”