Chicago consistently earns the title of Best Big City in the U.S., going on it’s ninth year in a row. It’s beloved globally for its stunning architecture, vibrant food scene and culture, not to mention its untouchable summers. However, last week, that pride turned into sheer horror. The city’s celebrated reputation was violently shattered after a series of back-to-back incidents reigned terror on its residents.
Suggested Reading
Mother Battling Sickle Cell Violently Jumped by Students
The Root previously reported how a 33-year-old mother, diagnosed with sickle cell anemia, was brutally attacked by middle school students on Nov. 17.
Corshawnda Hatter was walking home with her two young children when a group of Orville T Bright Elementary School students followed them. They berated, punched, kicked and slammed Hatter and her 9-year-old son, and even pulled their hair.
During an interview with media the next day at the school, Hatter recalled how the group purposefully waited on “the way we walk home, just to jump all of us.” Per WGN-TV, she added how “they fought my son and hit my son first. …Then they dragged me in the grass.”
Someone recorded the whole incident and the clips went viral, sparking nationwide discourse.
Students, Parents Make the Situation Worse
On Nov. 18, one of the female students allegedly involved in the attack spoke out, we previously told you. She identified herself as Kamira Grant in a Facebook clip, admitting she “was wrong for everything I did.” She confessed: “I was being a follower — following everybody who don’t even got nothing that I got,” before apologizing. She said she’s a “different person tonight,” but has “to go through so much.”
A woman who says she’s the parent of one of the female students defended her actions. The parent, who goes by “Yaz St. Patrick” on Facebook, tried to check “grown mfs lookin for a Viral Moment.”
She called her daughter, who she says is the captain of the cheerleading team, a “great ass kid” who “don’t owe NOBODY an apology bt That lady and her kids.”
The mom reasoned how, “kids gon be kids and it’s a kid out here that did way worse sh*t” and that her daughter was “peer pressured.” She concluded her lengthy rant with an oh-so-classy, “Feel how yall want. Fuck Yall.” Her account has since been deactivated.
Infuriated Community Demands Accountability
The day after the attack, the Far South Side community banded together to defend Hatter and her son. They called on administrators to address the bullying in schools, and even a former Chicago Public Schools’ principal broke her silence about how the school enabled what led up to the harrowing attack.
And even a week later, folks online are still infuriated.
“I was traumatized watching the video,” one person wrote on YouTube. “I want all of them demons prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. No plea deals.”
A second added: “They should NOT be protected because they are minors.”
“All them kids need to be charged and the parents,” another person said. “No respect for anyone because their parents did not teach them anything about respect.”
Hatter plans on pressing charges against the parents of the kids who attacked her, CBS News reported.
Woman Set on Fire While Riding the L Train
That same day Hatter was jumped by students, over in the city’s Loop district a typical ride on the CTA train turned horrific after a man doused a woman passenger with a liquid and set her on fire.
We previously reported how Lawrence Reed was charged for allegedly setting 26-year-old Bethany MaGee, an innocent woman, on fire while she rode the train. Reports say he was caught on camera at a gas station paying for gasoline he put in a container just 20 minutes before the attack.
MaGee, who suffered severe burns on her head and body, survived, but remains in critical condition.
The “Carelessness” of Justice System Called Out
Reed, according to reports, was a serial offender who had 22 prior arrests since 2016 alone and 53 criminal cases in Cook County— nine of them felonies for which he plead guilty. But the 50-year-old only served time twice.
“This would never have happened if this thug had been behind bars. Yet Chicago lets repeat offenders roam the streets,” US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X Sunday. “Chicago’s carelessness is putting the American people at risk. No one should ever have to fear for their life on the subway.”
ATF special agent-in-charge Christopher Amon said how Reed “had no business being on the streets given his violent criminal history and his pending criminal cases,” especially given how he’s had “plenty of second chances by the criminal justice system and as a result you have an innocent victim in the hospital fighting for her life.”
The Community Speaks Out After Judge Was Warned
Folks on X suggested Judge Teresa Molina-Gonzalez, the judge who let Reed out of jail from a August 22, 2025, case to be put on electric monitoring, “should be required to witness the results of her actions. Judge Molina-Gonzalez should have to gear up, mask up, and glove up to enter into the realm of Bethany’s hell on earth. Let her witness firsthand the evil she unleashed.”
Prosecutor Jerrilyn Gumila reportedly had warned the Judge Molina-Gonzalez at the time that electronic monitoring would be “wholly insufficient.”
Violence Ensues at Chicago Tree Lighting Ceremony
While many folks were out Christmas shopping in the Loop, violence and gunshots ensued, leaving 14-year-old Armani Floyd dead. The Friday night melee in downtown Chicago also left eight others injured, local news station ABC 7 reported. The news studio also had a front-row seat to the fallout, as the first shooting unfolded before 10 p.m., just steps away from their State Street studios. ABC 7 crews even heard the gunshots.
Chicago police said multiple teens, between the ages of 13 to 17, were shot in the Loop Friday night after the city’s popular Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.
Mayor Brandon Johnson said the city learned about the possible “teen takeover” from social media days before and did what they could to stop it, including adding an additional 700 officers on duty that night.
The Violence Contined the Next Day…
More large crowds gathered again on Saturday night. And as a major tourist hub, even more are expected in downtown Chicago through the rest of the year. But some folks are concerned about their safety.
The Windy City plans on deploying an additional 300 officers, on top of the already 700 assigned, for safety purposes. City officials said they will continue to monitor the downtown area for unusual activity.
So far, no one is custody for the shootings.
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.