CaliToday (26/11/2025): As Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson dismisses incarceration as a "racist" construct, the horrific burning of a young woman on the CTA train by a career criminal has exposed the lethal failure of American progressivism. Meanwhile, to the south, El Salvador offers a stark, undeniable counter-argument: Locking up criminals saves lives.
The contrast could not be more jarring. In Chicago, Bethany MaGee is fighting for her life after being doused in gasoline and set on fire by a man with 72 prior arrests. In El Salvador, families walk the streets at night without fear, protected by a government that decided to prioritize the safety of the innocent over the freedom of the guilty.
1. Chicago: The Cost of "Compassion"
The tragedy of Bethany MaGee is not an anomaly; it is the statistical inevitability of Chicago’s "catch-and-release" policies. The suspect, despite a rap sheet spanning decades, was free to roam the streets.
Yet, Mayor Brandon Johnson continues to double down on ideology. By labeling the act of incarceration as "racist" and "failed," he ignores the reality on the ground.
The Toll: Chicago has recorded 378 murders this year alone—more than the entire nation of El Salvador.
The Chaos: Theft has skyrocketed to over 16,000 incidents, and shootings have surpassed 1,300.
The Result: The downtown area is becoming a ghost town as tourists flee the violence.
As President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have long warned, policies that prioritize the comfort of the criminal inevitably lead to the suffering of the citizen.
2. The Bukele Blueprint: Peace Through Strength
While Chicago deteriorates, El Salvador has undergone a miraculous transformation under President Nayib Bukele. Once the murder capital of the world, the nation is now statistically safer than many U.S. cities.
How did he do it? He rejected the "root causes" narrative and simply removed the predators from society.
The Drop: The homicide rate plummeted from 103 per 100,000 to just 1.9. That is a 98% reduction.
The Boom: Safety brought prosperity. Tourism surged from 1.7 million to over 4 million visitors, as the world woke up to a new, safe El Salvador.
Bukele’s philosophy is blunt and effective: "You CAN arrest your way out of a crime wave."
3. The "Racism" Lie
Mayor Johnson’s defense that policing and prisons are tools of systemic racism—is crumbling under the weight of the facts.
Critics argue that the true racism lies in allowing violence to fester in minority communities. The 5,000+ robbery victims in Chicago this year are predominantly people of color living in underserved neighborhoods. By refusing to incarcerate violent offenders, the "progressive" leadership is effectively abandoning the very communities they claim to champion.
4. A Tale of Two Systems
The data presents a clear choice between two governing philosophies:
| Metric | El Salvador (The Bukele Model) | Chicago (The Johnson Model) |
| Strategy | Mass Incarceration of Gangs | Decarceration & Bail Reform |
| Priority | Public Safety | Social Justice Ideology |
| Outcome | Historic Low Crime | Historic High Anxiety |
| Economy | Tourism Boom | Business Exodus |
Conclusion: The Lesson for America
El Salvador has proven that a society does not have to live in fear. It requires political will and the courage to ignore the "human rights" complaints of those who sympathize with gangs.
Chicago serves as a grim warning: When leaders treat the criminal justice system as a stage for political theater rather than a mechanism for public safety, innocent people—like Bethany MaGee pay the price.
Source: @nayibbukele / TCNetwork / TravelWeek / WSJ