Tribune Opinion quotes of the week for June 22

It was a hot week in Chicago as the city saw yet another tragic shooting of a child. Tensions in the Illinois GOP reached a boiling point, causing its chairman to step down. Gov. J.B. Pritzker and presidential candidate Donald Trump had a war of words. Bears fans also got to know rookie defensive lineman Austin Booker. Read last week’s quotes here.

“In better days, Illinois Republicans came together after tough intraparty elections. Now however, we have Republicans who would rather fight other Republicans than engage in the harder work of defeating incumbent Democrats by convincing swing voters to vote Republican.”

— Don Tracy

Tracy, the Illinois GOP chairman, wrote this in his resignation letter. He is stepping down from his position after three years, citing infighting between Illinois Republicans, as reported in the Tribune.

“God bless the Blackest city in the world.”

— Mayor Brandon Johnson

Johnson said this in a speech at the Daley Center on Juneteenth.

“I’m done living in the shadows. People like my parents and I deserve acknowledgment in this country. We deserve a chance to work legally in a country that we’re already contributing to.”

— Simone Peña

Peña is an incoming junior at Harvard University who immigrated to Chicago from Mexico without documentation, as reported in the Tribune.

“The random shooting of this 7-year-old is unacceptable. We really have to think about who we are as a society when our kids are being shot in the street.”

— Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling

Snelling spoke after Tuesday’s fatal shooting of Jai’Mani Amir Rivera, as reported in the Tribune.

“Just stay hungry and latch on to a good veteran guy on the team and study him and learn from those guys.”

— University of Kansas defensive ends coach Taiwo Onatolu

Onatolu was sharing his advice for the Bears’ new defensive lineman, Austin Booker, in an interview with the Tribune’s Colleen Kane.

“It’s a recipe for disaster if an adult leaves them out, especially when it looks appealing to kids. That’s been deeply concerning to me from day one.”

— Dr. Leslie Mendoza Temple

Temple, a member of the state Medical Cannabis Advisory Board, was speaking about cannabis edibles, as reported in the Tribune.

“Sloppy J.B. Pritzker, the Rotund Governor (sic) from the once great State of Illinois, who makes Chris Christie look like a male model, and whose family wanted him out of the business because he was so pathetic at helping them run it, has presided over the destruction and disintegration of Illinois.”

— Donald Trump

Trump posted this on his Truth Social channel in response to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s recent attacks against the Republican presidential candidate.

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