LTC (Ret) Michael Pierce: SAFE-T Act harming Illinois citizens while Bill Foster stays silent

Naperville, IL – LTC (Ret.) Michael D. Pierce, candidate for Congress in Illinois' 11th District, is calling out Congressman Bill Foster for his silence and complicity with the implementation of the SAFE-T Act, which is making our communities more dangerous.

The law has come under scrutiny after a tragic incident last November involving 26-year-old Bethany MaGee, who was tragically set on fire on an “L” train in Chicago. The man charged in connection with this horrific act, Lawrence Reed, has a deeply disturbing history, having been arrested 72 times over the past 30 years and convicted 15 times, including for arson in 2020.

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“Members of Congress should be leaders,” Pierce said. “Bill Foster should be using his position as a member of Congress to advocate for changes to the SAFE-T Act. The safety of our state should be the No. 1 priority for all elected officials in our great state.”

Pierce said the Illinois Legislature must act and protect its citizens.

“The one-size-fits-all approach to criminal justice is unwise,” Pierce said. “When our leaders prioritize the needs of criminals over the safety of honest citizens, we create an environment where innocent people are at risk and we end up with innocent people being lit on fire on the ‘L’. Our communities deserve better than to have their safety compromised for the sake of a flawed ideology.”

LTC (retired) Mike Pierce, PhD is a resident of Naperville. He graduated North Central College and went in to the Army, first as a Chaplain Assistant, and later on earned his commission in the Signal Corps, after completing Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia in April 1994. After 20 serving years, he retired from the Army in 2012 and continued to work at U.S. European Command and U.S. AFRICOM as a DOD Contractor in exercise planning, assessment, and functional analysis of critical infrastructure.