Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: The Fran Spielman Show
Episode: Rob Karr, President of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association
Description: Twice in the last monthâand as recently as this weekâ Mayor Lori Lightfoot urged Magnificent Mile merchants victimized repeatedly by smash-and-grab robberies to follow the lead of their counterparts in Milan, London, Paris, Rome and along Hollywoodâs Rodeo Drive. She specifically mentioned security guards at the door, entrance cameras, merchandise âeither chained and roped or put behind glassâ and customers being âbuzzed intoâ stores. On Thursday, Il. Retail Merchants Association President Rob Karr flatly rejected all of the mayorâs ideas. He branded the suggestions âextraordinarily disheartening,â âmisinformedâ and âfalseââyet another example of how Lightfoot âcontinues to point f...