Illinois Governor JB Pritzker says he is willing to consider adjustments to the state’s SAFE-T Act following a violent incident in Chicago in which a man with a lengthy criminal record allegedly set a CTA Blue Line passenger on fire. The attack, which left the victim critically injured, involved a suspect with 49 prior arrests who is now charged with committing a terrorist attack on a mass transit system. The case has renewed criticism of Illinois’ elimination of cash bail and sparked questions for the governor during an unrelated appearance last Friday in Skokie.
Pritzker defended his decision to sign the law ending cash bail, arguing the old system favored wealth over public safety.
“Bail is sort of an automatic out for people who just happen to have enough money and an automatic incarceration for somebody who happens not to have enough money,” he said.
When pressed about prosecutors’ concerns that the law makes it harder to hold dangerous individuals, Pritzker acknowledged that changes could be considered.
“Sometimes bills get passed and everybody that votes for it knows that there needs to be a trailer bill or a tweak that needs to be made afterward,” he said. “I think everybody is open to listening to what changes might need to be made.”
Asked whether the attack undermines the narrative that crime is trending down in Chicago, Pritzker said President Donald Trump’s repeated statements about violence in the city amplify the public reaction to horrific crimes. Illinois Republicans have repeatedly called for the SAFE-T Act to be amended or repealed, arguing the law has weakened public safety statewide.