A conservative commentator argues that if the races were reversed in a recent Chicago train attack, it would have dominated national headlines. The incident involved a white woman, Bethany MaGee, being set on fire, with a black suspect identified as the perpetrator.
Bethany MaGee, 26, suffered severe burns after being attacked on the Blue Line train in Chicago on November 17. Authorities have identified Lawrence Reed, a 50-year-old with a lengthy criminal record, as the suspect in the case.
Reed, who has been arrested 72 times previously, was released a few months before this incident, following an alleged attack on a social worker.
MaGee is currently being supported by her church community, which reports that she sustained major burns on her left arm and hand. Her recovery is expected to take at least three months in the hospital.
In an opinion piece for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, conservative commentator Victor Joecks stated that if the racial roles were reversed, the attack on MaGee would be as widely recognized as the George Floyd case.
Joecks pointed out that major publications like The New York Times and The Washington Post have not covered the incident, contrasting their extensive coverage of Floyd’s death. Additionally, news agencies such as the Associated Press and Reuters have opted not to report on MaGee’s story.
Floyd was murdered in 2020 by white police officer Derek Chauvin, who used his knee to pin the black man’s neck to the pavement for almost 10 minutes.
His death sparked outrage across the country and world, reigniting the Black Lives Matter movement, and saw demonstrators chanting his dying words: ‘I can’t breathe.’
Bethany MaGee, is a 26-year-old who had gasoline poured on her and was set on fire by a lunatic criminal
Surveillance footage shows the attack on MaGee. A conservative commentator wrote an opinion piece and believes her attack would receive more attention if the ‘races were reversed’
Joecks argued that her horrific attack should have been a national story, labeling Cook County Judge Teresa Molina-Gonzalez’s decision to allow the dangerous criminal to walk the streets a ‘scandal.’
The commentator also touched upon the brutal nature of the crime to a ‘young attractive woman’ that the press ‘craves.’
In a horrifying chain of events, MaGee attempted to fight off her attacker while Reed allegedly tried to set her on fire.
Reed approached her and repeatedly screamed ‘burn alive b***h,’ a criminal affidavit filed in federal court alleged.
MaGee was seen running to the front of the train car to escape before her attacker allegedly ignited the bottle in his hand. He ran to the front of the train car and watched as her body was ‘engulfed in flames,’ according to the affidavit.
MaGee attempted to extinguish the flames and collapsed when she arrived at the station with multiple witnesses aiding her before first responders arrived.
Joecks also explained in his piece that the ongoing feud between President Trump and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson should be included in the national coverage.
‘[The media is] silent because this crime doesn’t fit the left’s narrative,’ Joecks wrote. ‘It wants you to believe that the criminal justice system is systemically racist against African Americans.’
He concluded by saying: ‘America’s criminal justice system has a systemic problem, but it isn’t white supremacy. It’s the judges and prosecutors who protect criminals instead of the public.’
Others have agreed with Joeck’s view, comparing the horrific incidents involving Floyd and MaGee on social media.
An account posted the comparison of searching MaGee’s name versus George Floyd on Reuters, writing ‘Reuters mentions of Bethany MaGee: 0. Reuters mentions of George Floyd: 1,068.’
MaGee suffered the most serious burns on her left arm and hand and is expected to be in hospital for at least three months, her church community says
Lawrence Reed is the suspect accused of setting MaGee alight. He has a slew of previous arrests and was branded a danger to society by prosecutors at his most recent court appearance on an assault charge in August
He approached the victim on the Chicago train and doused her in gasoline, before screaming and setting her on fire
Some people drew on the May 2020 incident regarding an officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck, slamming the lack of media attention for MaGee
One user commented: ‘I don’t think the mainstream media would care about an innocent young white lady getting lit on fire by a violent criminal with many prior arrests as it doesn’t fit their narrative.
‘Sadly poor Bethany is not the only victim of a violent attack that the media doesn’t care about.’
Others pushed back on this belief, writing that her death happened recently and Floyd’s death happened in 2020, so the media coverage wouldn’t be the same.
‘George Floyd’s death happened in 2020 and spurred protests. How could they have similar coverage? I don’t think the event has hit mainstream media yet? If you want similar attention create a movement and hit the streets,’ one Facebook post read.
Reed was hit with a federal terrorism charge after investigators obtained security footage of Reed allegedly filling a container with gasoline at a gas station 20 minutes before the attack.
The 26-year-old’s chilling attack drew comparisons to the killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 22.
Zarutska was fatally stabbed in an apparent random attack aboard a commuter train in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Her alleged attacker Decarlos Brown Jr. is also a career criminal who was allowed to walk from court in January despite a litany of arrests for armed robbery and assault.
Zarutska’s boyfriend, Stanislav Nikulytsia, has also blasted the Chicago judge and drew a direct parallel with the murder of his girlfriend and the sickening attack on MaGee.
