Will County Gazette

American voters have an important choice right now, according to one Illinois lawmaker.

They can stand up for law enforcement – while opposing its abuses and supporting improvements. But they can also resist and rigorously fight against efforts to attack the men and women who enforce the law, who work on the front lines of the justice system. 

That’s the of position Illinois state Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield).

U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-Downers Grove) | File photo

“We must speak up against the hate and violence toward our police,” Batinick, a Republican floor leader in his third term in the legislature, told Will County Gazette.

That’s something U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (R-Downers grove) did not do last month. Casten, a freshman Democrat who represents the Sixth Congressional District in the U.S. House, went silent when a Democratic candidate assailed law enforcement via Twitter on July 26.

DuPage County Board District 4 candidate Hadiya Afzal (D-Glen Ellyn) was running for the seat when she posted a remark along with a video of a law enforcement officer in Portland, Oregon, being struck in the face with a projectile during a violent demonstration.

“I’ve been watching this on repeat for 15 minutes and laughing every single time,” Afzal posted.

Afzal, 20, almost immediately felt heat for her comment. After claiming her words had been taken out of context, she then apologized and left the race against incumbent Tim Elliott, as reported by the Daily Herald.

“As a young activist, I made the decision to run for office in DuPage County Board District 4 to bring progressive policy changes for the community I grew up in and care deeply for,” she stated. “Early Sunday morning, I posted a personal tweet regarding the protests in Portland, Oregon. My post was in poor taste and doesn’t reflect the values I was raised with and hold dear. I do not support or condone violence in any form. I appreciate and support the role that law enforcement plays in keeping our communities safe.”

Batinick has been public with his opposition to calls to defund police departments.

“I fear this will only lead to further the divide where the upper class resides in gated communities with private security and the rest are left mostly unprotected,” Batinick told the Will County Gazette in June. “I consider myself pretty open-minded, but I just can’t wrap my head around this one.”

The real solution, in his view, is additional resources for law enforcement.

“If anything, additional funding for more training, bonuses for great policing and improved equipment makes more sense to me,” Batinick said in June.

Batinick represents the 97th District, which includes portions of Oswego, Montgomery, Naperville, Plainfield, Bolingbrook, Joliet and Shorewood. He and his wife Ellen and their five children live in Plainfield, where he is involved in community and charitable efforts and organizations.