Southwest Side Ald. Lopez Office Vandalized, 3rd Attack In July

CHICAGO — Early Thursday, and for the second time in 10 days, vandals broke the front windows of Ald. Ray Lopez's 15th Ward office. It was the third time the Southwest Side ward boss was targeted by vandals.

Around 4:50 a.m., officers found a brick at Lopez's office in the 2700 block of 47th Street, where two windows and a glass door has been shattered, police said. Vandals also threw bricks through windows at the alderman's house on July 9, and his office's windows on July 20.

Lopez, one of Mayor Lori Lightfoot's chief critics, condemned the mayor on Twitter for not doing more to prevent attacks against an elected official as she publicly promised.

Lightfoot said police would provide resources to protect Lopez and that the city would not tolerate attacks against elected officials. On Thursday, Lopez tweeted photos of the latest damage to his office and a message for the mayor: "You failed. Third attack in a month! Lawlessness continues in Chicago."

Lopez has called the string of July attacks retaliation from neighborhood gang members who had clashed with the repeatedly in what he called an attempt to free residents of their "tyranny."

The brazen front-door attack on the alderman's home July 9th came the day after Lopez said he had a verbal confrontation with gang members.

And damage to the windows of his office on July 20th happened after Lopez sent an open letter to 15th Ward residents condemning the vandalism as work of "cowards ... meant to intimidate me." Lopez called on residents to help "cast them out like cockroaches when the light switch is turned on."