Illinois Valley Times

State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) is pointing to the recent attack on a CTA bus driver as a prime example of why many Illinois residents no longer feel safe across the state.

“I recently held a series of town halls and the #1 issue was the ongoing violence in Chicago and suburbs,” Rezin posted on Twitter. “People rightfully don’t feel safe. It’s terrible that this CTA driver, who was just doing his job, was violently attacked. Do you think downtown Chicago is safe at night?”

ABC7 News reports the 49-year-old driver was hospitalized at Northwestern Memorial with bruises to his face and body after being attacked and beaten by at least two people in the Loop area while inspecting his bus after hearing a loud noise in the 100 block of North Michigan Avenue.

Police charged a 15-year-old boy with a felony count of aggravated battery of a transit employee and disorderly conduct in connection with the incident.

Earlier this month, a 62-year-old CTA train operator was hospitalized after two teenagers beat him and then ran away onto the Dan Ryan Expressway. Investigators said the employee got into an argument with two female teens while the train was stalled near the Garfield station, 220 W. Garfield Ave.

With violence on the rise across much of the city, Chicago Police authorities recently took the step of canceling days off for officers.

"To enhance public safety and to address current crime patterns, all full-duty sworn members will have one regular day off cancelled," Sergeant Rocco Alioto said in a statement.

On the same night when the bus driver was attacked, at least 22 juveniles were arrested after crowds gathered around Millennium Park, where a 15-year-old boy was shot and two replica firearms were recovered.

"We do have some folks who are acting a fool and we will not tolerate that and I'm calling on the parents and guardians to step up and do your part. We want our young people to enjoy the city – it is their city after all, but they’ve got to do it in a way that is respectful to the rights of others," Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.

CTA union president Keith Hill is calling for more police presence and stiffer penalties.

"Our drivers are furious," Hill said, according to Fox32 "They are beyond scared, they are upset they are sitting ducks in that seat. The most important thing is we need police presence, we need stiffer penalties. You can ban a person from going into a store or a sports event, but we can’t ban nobody from taking public transportation no matter how many times they assault us?"

Illinois Valley Times reports Rezin has also been busy sounding off against legislation aimed at repealing the Parental Notice of Abortion Act (PNA) of 1995.

“Today I'm joined by my colleagues, and not just any colleagues, those of us standing here today are mothers and fathers, mothers of daughters, and once young girls ourselves,” Rezin said at an Oct. 19 press conference on the PNA and the legislation that would repeal it. “We're standing up for the rights of parents all across the state of Illinois so that we can provide the support that our daughters need. There's been strong indication that some Illinois legislators plan to use the veto session to advance legislation that would repeal the Parental Notice of Abortion Act.”

Rezin, who also serves as Senate Republican deputy leader, said she finds it senseless that anyone would take issue with policy that requires that parents of minors be notified before their daughter undergoes an abortion procedure.

“To be clear, the act doesn't require consent, just notification,” she added. “So, what we're talking about is repealing the law that requires parents to be notified when their young 13- or 14-year-old daughter decides to have a medical procedure. This issue goes beyond the typical pro-life vs. pro-choice debate. We're way past just discussing our views on abortion. We are literally now discussing if a parent has a right to know about their child's pregnancy and abortion.”