A chilling moment from Chicago’s “No Kings” rally has lit a firestorm online — and it should have law enforcement and university administrators scrambling for answers.
Video posted by GrayStak Media CEO Christopher Sweat captured a man at the October 18 demonstration openly calling for violence against federal immigration officers. In the clip, the protester urges left-wing activists to “grab a gun” and “turn the guns on this fascist system,” then goes on to declare, “These ICE agents gotta get shot and wiped out. The same machinery that’s on full display right there has to get wiped out.” The footage has been widely shared across X and other platforms, sparking immediate outrage.
What makes this worse: social-media investigators quickly identified the speaker as an employee of Wilbur Wright College, part of the City Colleges of Chicago system. Conservative watchdog accounts such as Libs of TikTok flagged the identification, and Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.) publicly called for the Justice Department to investigate, tweeting that the comments were “a criminal threat” that warranted federal attention.
This isn’t political theater — it’s a direct incitement to violence against federal officers carrying out lawful duties. For months the Trump administration has sent federal resources into cities like Chicago to protect officers and crack down on the crime and illegal-immigration problems that local leaders have failed to address. To have a college employee on a public mic encouraging the shooting of those agents is beyond irresponsible; it’s dangerous.
The reaction has been swift. Conservative commentators argued the episode exposes a deeper problem within parts of academia and the progressive activist movement — an environment where violent rhetoric is tolerated and, in some cases, rewarded. Andrew Kolvet of Turning Point USA noted that the “No Kings” protests helped flush out “many violent leftists who couldn’t help but expose themselves publicly,” adding that those who incite violence should face consequences from law enforcement.
City Colleges of Chicago and Wilbur Wright College should not let this slide. If the identification is accurate, administrators owe the public — and their own students — a full accounting: who is this employee, what is their role at the college, and what disciplinary steps will be taken immediately? Institutions that hire people to educate the next generation must not harbor staff who publicly call for the murder of federal officers.
And federal authorities, for their part, should not treat threats like this cavalierly. Threats against ICE and other federal agents are federal offenses. The Justice Department has a duty to investigate swiftly and make an example if charges are warranted. Doing so would send a clear message that political protest does not include calls for murder.
Beyond immediate investigations and potential discipline, this episode should force a larger conversation about how radical rhetoric corrodes public safety. When fringe activists escalate from chanting to urging gun violence, the line between protest and domestic terrorism blurs. Law-and-order should not be a partisan talking point — it’s a public necessity.
Chicago deserves leaders who put safety first, not a civic culture that excuses or amplifies calls to violence. If universities and elected officials fail to act, the rest of the city will pay the price.
