Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is being accused of not having her priorities exactly straight as she introduced a mascot dubbed the ‘Census Cowboy’ to the same city that is seeing a spike in violent crime.

“Giddy up, Chicago. I’m calling on the Census Cowboy to help improve our Census response rates across Chicago,” Lightfoot tweeted along with footage from a press conference where she introduced this Census Cowboy, a man on horseback who will be visiting the 10 communities with the lowest response rate to the US census to encourage them to take part.

Giddy up, Chicago. I'm calling on the Census Cowboy to help improve our Census response rates across Chicago. Make the Census Cowboy proud by filling out the Census today at https://t.co/tt2S9ojTmW. pic.twitter.com/eT2e6V74uk

— Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) July 13, 2020

“I’m rarely speechless…” journalist Mickey White tweeted in response.

“My tax dollars at work,” wrote author Carol Roth.

“How embarrassing,” added author Juanita Broaddrick.

Others were equally stunned by the move, especially considering the fact that Chicago has seen a recent spike in violent crime.

This is legit one of the most insane things I’ve seen in Chicago history pic.twitter.com/XyKQMVZxzw

— Trenton Hassles Carmelo (@TrentonHassles) July 13, 2020

Meanwhile in Chicago… (this cannot be real) 😂😂

pic.twitter.com/ko6SxKRQtd

— McNeil (@Reflog_18) July 14, 2020

Chicago crime is at record numbers, but at least @ChicagosMayor can take time out to have a… cowboy come and promote the census?!?

So. Many. Thoughts. https://t.co/A3ea8DmMmr

— Lauren Boebert for Congress (R-CO3) (@laurenboebert) July 14, 2020

There are how many shootings and murders in #Chicago and @chicagosmayor’s worry is the Census Cowboy? How the hell does that fix the problems in this city? #twill #Chiraq pic.twitter.com/p9DJtxUCn7

— 🇺🇸🏍 Chris Hansen 🏍🇺🇸 (@c_hansen84) July 14, 2020

Shootings in the city increased 71 percent over last year in May, with 409 people becoming the victims of gun crime, up from 332 in May of 2019.

To make the case of the Census Cowboy even stranger, Lightfoot actually compared him to the comic book character Batman, a vigilante who fights crime in the city of Gotham. The difference between the Batman and the Cowboy, however, is one fights crime in a city spiraling out of control, and the other encourages you to fill out paperwork while shootings rise around you.

Lightfoot issued a warning to citizens about the Census Cowboy, saying seeing him in your community is “not a good thing.”

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“If you see the Census Cowboy come into your neighborhood, that’s not a good thing,” she said. “That means you got to step up and do your part and make sure that you fill out the census.”

The actual Census Cowboy is Adam Holingsworth, a 33-year-old former boxer who gained local press attention for riding his horse in Chicago at protests following the May 25 death of George Floyd.

Lightfoot has pushed the blame for rising violent crime in her city on the federal government for not helping enough to police illegal guns.

“There’s way too many illegal guns on our streets, and we can’t fight that fight alone,” she told MSNBC.

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Source: RT