Is anti-gun activist Tio Hardiman (pictured above in his mugshot from Hillside Police Department) a grifter?  Others might ask if he has he stopped beating his wives.  Either way, either question, Tio’s now administering a “peacekeepers” program in Chicago.  A program that the State of Illinois has earmarked $30 MILLION to fund this year.

More on Tio’s latest sweet gig in a bit.  But first, let’s revisit his brushes with the law reference accusations of reportedly using the women in his life as punching bags.  At least according to police and court records.

The first conviction took place back in 1999 according to court records.  According to WFLD, Hardiman successfully completed the terms of his sentence and the conviction was deleted from his record.

Two days later, after plaintiff gave Flannery further information, WFLD updated the web article to state “Hardiman said that after he pleaded guilty to domestic violence in 1999, a judge sentenced him to probation, with the condition that if he committed no further offenses there would not be a conviction listed on his record.”

Then, in 2013, Hardiman was arrested once more for domestic battery against another wife.  Does anyone see a pattern here?

Laughably, after getting arrested for reportedly beating the hell out of wife #2, he claims he found “inspiration” while in jail awaiting his bond hearing.

From the Chicago Tribune:

Arrested CeaseFire director finds inspiration in jail

Tio Hardiman, the CeaseFire Illinois director arrested last week on charges that he beat his wife, insisted on his innocence Sunday and said he’s interested in one day having mediators “interrupting domestic violence.”

Hardiman, whose anti-violence organization employs former gang members as street-corner peacekeepers, said the time behind bars was instructive. While awaiting his bond court hearing Saturday, Hardiman said, he spoke with young men accused of domestic violence crimes who were “blaming women for all their problems.”

“It made me take a look at a deeper problem that exists in society,” Hardiman said. “Sometimes you go through a journey to learn a lesson, and I think this journey revealed a need for the overall community.”

Hardiman, who repeatedly said Sunday that he was not speaking on behalf of CeaseFire, believes he’ll be exonerated of charges that he beat his wife Friday and left her with a swollen lip, bruises and a cut on her neck.

A swollen lip, bruises and a cut on her neck?  Did she fall down the stairs, Tio?

More from WGN TV:

Tio Hardiman is accused of punching and kicking his wife during an argument in their Hillside home last week.

Attorneys for Tio Hardiman’s wife say he beat her “like an animal” and he did so while she was in a vulnerable state. She has suffered from a heart attack and two strokes, including one this past month.

Haridman says he loves his wife and he would never hurt her. 

Tio loves her so much, he would NEVER punch or kick her during an argument.  Right?  Especially as she recovers from a heart attack and two strokes!

Anyway, imagine our surprise when we say Tio’s name in the news again.  From the Center Square:

Illinois to spend $30 million for ‘peacekeepers’ this fiscal year

(The Center Square) – Community members from Chicago are seeking to address crime throughout the state with violence intervention methods as group officials suggest more funding is needed. Others say money is not the issue.

The Illinois Department of Human Services is looking to spend $30 million in fiscal year 2024 that started July 1 on the Peacekeepers Program. The money comes from COVID-19 relief federal tax funds. The program summary is looking for community groups with a “comprehensive approach to reducing firearm violence through targeted, integrated behavioral health services and economic opportunities.”

The community group Violence Interrupters focuses on interrupting violence in select cities throughout the United States by establishing short and long-term goals that will reduce the number of violent crimes.

The group’s founder, Tio Hardiman, told The Center Square that his group in Chicago had made strides in addressing some of the root causes of crime but did suggest increased funding to expand their operation.

…Hardiman said groups like his have shown the capability of getting things done.

$30M for “peacekeepers.”  For the “capacity” to get things done?  Thing like robbing and beating people?

Remember what happened Memorial Day weekend with one of the thirty “trained” “peacekeepers” working with “violence intervention methods?”

Here, let us help.  From CWB Chicago:

Parolee charged with badly beating, robbing man ‘mishandled the stress’ of being a ‘peacekeeper,’ former federal official says

CHICAGO — After officials said a man wearing a yellow “peacekeeper” vest was among a group of offenders who severely beat and robbed a driver in Little Village on Friday, a proponent of the anti-violence programs argued that the accused man had simply “mishandled the stress” of working as a peacekeeper.

On Sunday afternoon, Judge Maryam Ahmad held 31-year-old Oscar Montes without bail on charges of robbery, aggravated battery, and unlawful vehicular invasion.

“Over 500 peacekeepers on duty this weekend putting their lives on the line to stop shootings, but you highlight one guy who mishandled the stress. You don’t hold police to the same standard. You approve $90M per year in police abuse settlements. Time to think & act differently,” Cunningham posted.

Over 500 peacekeepers on duty this weekend putting their lives on the line to stop shootings, but you highlight one guy who mishandled the stress.

You don’t hold police to the same standard. You approve $90M per year in police abuse settlements. Time to think & act differently.

— Peter Cunningham (@PCunningham57) May 29, 2023

Twitter users were quick to offer their thoughts about Cunningham’s conclusion that Montes had “mishandled the stress” of being a peacekeeper.

“If one police officer messed up, would you just shrug it off with that same nonchalant attitude?” asked Eugene Roy, the Chicago Police Department’s former chief of detectives. “I think not. As for the $90m in payouts, a significant portion is just paid out without being litigated in court. The Corp Counsel just paid out $800k to a woman facing a Federal trial for fraud.”

“‘Mishandling stress’ is throwing a book across the room or yelling at your 6yr old. This is straight up sociopathic behavior by someone who never should have been in the ‘peacekeeper’ position,” opined another.

Or this one, also from CWB Chicago.

No bail for Chicago ‘peacekeeper’ charged with beating, robbing man in Little Village

CHICAGO — A  Chicago man wearing a neon yellow “peacekeepers” vest helped a group of people beat and rob a motorist in Little Village on Friday night, according to a Chicago Police Department report. The allegations come after city and state officials lauded the use of “peacekeepers” as a tool they would deploy over the Memorial Day weekend to tamp down violence across the city.

Oscar Montes, 31, was held without bail by Judge Maryam Ahmad on charges of robbery, aggravated battery, and unlawful vehicular invasion Sunday afternoon…

A 37-year-old man was pulled from his vehicle by “multiple offenders,” including one wearing a neon vest, a Chicago police spokesperson said Saturday. During Montes’ bail hearing, prosecutor Charles Golaszewski said six or seven men joined Montes in pulling the victim from the driver’s seat.

The group punched and kicked him on the ground. Montes took the victim’s phone and beat the man with it, Golaszewski alleged. Another man took the victim’s wallet before everyone scattered as Chicago cops returned to the scene.

A police surveillance camera recorded the entire attack, Golaszewski said, and officers who reviewed the footage identified a man wearing a yellow vest as one of the attackers.

Police officers searched the area and quickly located Montes walking away from them while removing “a neon ‘peacekeepers’ vest,” according to the CPD arrest report. No other arrests were made.

The victim was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital in serious condition with significant injuries to one eye, cuts, bruises, and abrasions. Golaszewski said he suffered a facial fracture, rib fracture, and a left eye injury that has caused partial vision loss. It is unclear if the victim’s vision will fully return.