Producers’ Pick | Gianno Caldwell: On the Loss of His Brother to Chicago’s Crime Crisis

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It's Brian Kilmeade. I've been working for 20 years talking about how to improve our imperfect system, so certainly I think that's what we're working on every day, improving the system. I am proud of what we're doing at the Manhattan DA's office, just mentioned some of the work we're doing, really encouraged by the fact that homicides are down, shootings are down year-to-date in Manhattan, and so yes, lots more work to do, but trending in the right direction.

Really? Alvin Bragg, trending in the right direction, a lot more work to do. How about keeping people in prison? Do you ever thought about that?

That might be effective. He's the Manhattan DA. With me right now in studio, Gianno Caldwell, not only a Fox News political analyst, you see him on the big show this weekend, and sadly, twice since I've known you, you had a family victim of a random act of violence and they lost their lives, and now you just lost your brother.

That's right. In Chicago. In Chicago, my brother Christian was murdered on June 24th on 114th Street, South Vincennes. He was standing outside of a venue when a black SUV pulled up, three to four African American men with dreads pulled out and began firing. He wasn't the intended target. There were multiple people hit. He was the only one who was killed. So do you think they intended to shoot him? They intended a target and they were just going to shoot whoever was nearby.

So it didn't matter. In Chicago, just walking down the street makes you a target. It used to be when I was growing up, you had to be affiliated with the gangs or someone in that sphere. Now it's everyone, no matter what. If it's a grandmother right next to you, she gets shot too.

And why is that? How did it get to this point? Did cops just back out? No, I don't think it's the cops that backed out.

Although police are overworked, there's a need for a thousand detectives to solve these cases. The soft on crime policies that we've seen persist, which I think a lot of them started not that long ago, 2017 being a key year when bail reform was started by way of the Cook County Chief Judge, the Cook County Justice. He started bail reform. That's when a lot of these criminals would go in and come right out.

It's a slap on the wrist. And in a number of these cases, it was actually violent crime. So that was one issue.

And then you got what happened after George Floyd. You know, the whole country turned on his head. People wanted justice. They wanted police reform. And then there's nothing wrong with police reform. There's nothing wrong with the right kind of criminal justice reform, not violent crime.

But certainly there should be a balance. And the Democrats went super far to the left. And now my family's paying the price.

And now, not only that, no one owns it now. Except for Bush. I never said that. So I was struck by this on August 4th, 10 people, 945 days, 485 crimes, just 10 people committed 945 crimes. It's the same people over and over again. Yeah.

Yeah. And there's new people too. That's every city. And here's the thing, though.

And I'll tell you, I've spoken with younger family members of mine. I said, well, why is it that people are just committing all these crimes in Chicago? And they said, well, they know if they commit a crime, they're not likely to get arrested. And if they get arrested, they're not likely to be prosecuted.

So why not? And this is where we are right now as a country, not just Chicago. Yes, my family's paying the price. Yes, I'm fighting for justice for Christian every day. But at the same time, there are so many others who are victims to this cancer called soft on crime policies, which has infected every organ of the city government and state government in Illinois and across the country.

So the very few Democrats who even say I understand the right thing, like show frustration. But listen to Mayor Eric Adams, Cut 22. They say the difference definition of insanity is to do the same thing repeatedly, but expect different results. Our criminal justice system is insane. It is dangerous, it is harmful, and it's destroying the fabric of our city. Time and time again, our police officers make an arrest. And then the person who is arrested for assault, felonious assaults, robberies and gun possessions, they're finding themselves back on the street within days, if not hours after arrest. So he's frustrated and he says it's up to the state legislature Democrat to reform the old cash bail so he can't win over his own party. Yeah, and it's become a disgusting and disturbing trend in these major cities where they maybe they had good intentions. I don't know. But it's costing lives like you're literally endangering the lives of millions of people across the country with these policies.

You look at the bodega, for example. You get a guy who comes across the counter, goes in and he starts hitting a guy. He can't even really defend himself. They want to prosecute him for what was it? I forgot what it was, the charge they wanted to prosecute him for. Well, he stabbed the guy to death. Right, right, right. So you had that situation where it was clearly self-defense.

Anyone with a brain could see that. But yet and still you got the- He goes to Rikers. The district attorney, oh yeah, we're going to prosecute you because maybe you harmed a criminal. Like what kind of mess is this?

Where does this stuff come from? George Soros. These are the people that he has put in office.

These are the people he's invested in and these are the people that he's going to continue to back. What needs to happen is the citizens of these major cities, whether they be left, right, progressive or whatever, have to speak up and let their voices be known. They need to recall these district attorneys who are letting these criminals go out and commit more crime and they need to ensure that these people never get in again. They need to make sure that crime is illegal again. That sounds insane. It does sound insane, but it's true. So what is it going to take to go into the most challenging areas of Chicago and clean it out? I understand this is basically gang violence, correct?

No, no. It's not mostly gang violence. It's violence against block after block. You can be a gangster disciple on one block or whatever, a gangster disciple on the next block and you guys are at war with each other.

Or you can be a part of a clique, not a gang, but a part of a clique of some sort and you're just friends from high school and you're fighting everyone else. It is a discombobulated moment for so many in the city of Chicago. Whereas we don't know left and right because the young folks aren't following the traditions of the old days of the gangs. They're just basically out here wilding is the term that they use and they're committing these crimes because they don't fear prosecution or the police. And here's the thing I hear in Los Angeles. They're following these, these criminals are now following people with money into Beverly Hills, the rich areas.

And that's what you said to me, you said to me, it's happened in Chicago. They're going into the rich areas from the smash and grabs to the assaults and robberies. And New York, Upper East Side, Upper West Side is susceptible. That sadly will be, that has to happen for people to realize it's everybody's problem. And I think we're already at that point, Brian, especially you think of, you mentioned Beverly Hills, we can talk about any other area that's a very wealthy elite area. And you know, they don't really take too kindly to being in fear of their lives.

They pay good money to live where they live. But we're seeing it already in Chicago. The mayor has been saying, oh, we got a decrease in crime, which is not really a decrease in my view. But at the same time, there's been an increase in areas that were usually traditionally safe. You used to be able to go downtown without a problem. You didn't have to look over your shoulder, but now you do.

I, on the day, the day after my brother's funeral, which was a Sunday, I stayed at a nice hotel. I leave, two hours later, there's a shooting that takes place about two blocks away. Like, where is this? This is insanity on steroids, but this is where we are. And I think people have seen what these policies are doing, and they're going to be demanding justice in these upcoming elections.

But we need to really focus on these recalls to get these people out now versus waiting. Well, put it this way, George Soros says everything he's doing, he's working, he doubles and triples down on it. People have to be able to match him money-wise.

Yeah, they do. And I'm gonna tell you, people who were able to really, and say, for example, Illinois could match him with people like billionaire Ken Griffin. But Ken Griffin has seen the crime and he said, hey, I'm moving my business out of Chicago because of the crime. He's going to Miami, which, where I live now, a very safe area. You know, I don't have to look around my shoulder when I'm in Miami. And you got a great mayor, Mayor Suarez.

Yeah, no, he's excellent. And a great governor. And I know you have to run to Outnumber, which comes on at 12 o'clock, but what's the latest on your brother's investigation to find out who killed him? Well, there's a lot that the police don't know.

There's some things that aren't reportable yet. So we're just kind of waiting and seeing and hoping that the justice system works and that Kim Fox, when these folks are caught, that she prosecutes them to the fullest extent of the law. And I'm going to keep the pressure campaign going.

Thank God for our Fox News family, who's allowing me to keep the pressure going and keep my brother's name alive. Right. So Gianno, great to see you. And you'll be back next week?

Well, yes. Next week, next weekend, I'll be co-hosting The Big Show on Saturday and Sunday. And folks can find me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at Gianno Caldwell, G-I-A-N-N-O Caldwell, C-A-L-D-W-E-L-L. All right, Gianno, best of luck. Thank you. All right.

Thanks so much. When we come back, we'll finish up with, we'll find out for sure if there's more to know. You're listening to The Brian Kilmeade Show. Quick reminder, coming up Saturday at eight o'clock, repeated at 11. And I believe at three o'clock in the morning, depending on your time zone, we'll have one nation. Among our guests will be Mitch Daniels, make heads or tails of this new bill.

Lindsey Graham will respond honestly and openly about what's happening with the Challenge of China. And we'll also have some other more, more special guests, including an interview with Herschel Walker. Brian Kilmeade Show. This weekend, check out Brian's new show on Fox News Channel, because apparently he's cheaper than infomercials for nonstick pans. That is not true. Chill out, Gutfeld. That really hurts. One Nation with Brian Kilmeade, Saturdays at 8pm Eastern on Fox News Channel. More of Brian coming up. Put the power of over 100 meteorologists and the worldwide resources of Fox in your hands with the Fox Weather Podcast.

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