The Daily Populous Saturday September 13rd, 2025 day edition
Authored by chicago.suntimes.com and submitted by DevinGraysonShirk

Right-wing internet personality Ben Bergquam on Thursday filmed outside of Gov. JB Pritzker’s home and invited his followers to “take action” after the murder of Charlie Kirk on Wednesday, sparking concerns for the Democratic governor’s safety.

“Made a stop by Governor Pritzker’s house in Chicago today,” Bergquam says in a video with Pritzker’s Gold Coast home in the background. “If you love America and the assassination of Charlie Kirk doesn’t inspire you to take action, I don’t know what will!”

Sources close to the governor told the Sun-Times the video has prompted additional concerns over Pritzker’s safety. The Illinois State Police Executive Protection Unit currently provides 24-hour security for the governor, his family and the Governor’s Mansion in Springfield.

In the video, Bergquam notes Pritzker has private security and is “protected” but says, “Chicago is screwed.” Bergquam calls Kirk’s death “the direct result of leftist Democrat policies, who took God out of society, replaced God with government,” and a “direct result of why we see transgenderism and why we see babies murdered and celebrated as so-called feminism.”

A state police spokesperson said the agency was “aware of the recent video made outside the Governor’s residence. We take the safety and security of the Governor and the Governor’s family serious and remain vigilant in that mission.”

Bergquam, a correspondent for the right-wing news channel Real America’s Voice, has more than 177,000 followers on Instagram. He is currently embedded with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers as they make arrests in Chicago as part of President Trump’s “Operation Midway Blitz.”

While Kirk’s assassination prompted some unifying calls against political violence, Trump on Wednesday night blamed the “radical left” for Kirk’s death.

Bergquam said he’s upset Pritzker blamed Kirk and Trump “for the violence that we see.” He ends the video by saying, “God bless Charlie Kirk’s family. If you’re not inspired now, I don’t know what it’s gonna take. Better get up. Better get active.”

In responding to Kirk’s shooting, Pritzker on Wednesday acknowledged recent high-profile acts of political violence and blamed Trump for stirring up violence, using his decision to pardon people who were charged or convicted for their role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol as an example.

”... Political violence has been ratcheting up in this country. We saw the shootings, the killings in Minnesota. We’ve seen other political violence occur in other states, and I would just say, it’s got to stop. And I think there are people who are fomenting it in this country. I think the president’s rhetoric often foments it,” Pritzker said Wednesday.

“We’ve seen the January 6th rioters who clearly, you know, have tripped a new era of political violence. And the president, what did he do? He pardoned them. I mean, what kind of signal does that send to people who want to perpetrate political violence? Not a good one.”

In his video, Bergquam says: “Godless, leftist policies are the problem. Evil is the problem, and it’s politicians like Gov. Pritzker.... that are the problem.”

The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the video.

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said the video near Pritzker’s home “escalates tension, spreads fear and foments violence to our community.”

“Whether you consider this behavior intimidation, doxing, or an outright call for further violence, it is unacceptable,” Welch said in a statement. “We showed this week that people from across the spectrum want to bring down the temperature and step back from the edge before it’s too late; that starts when we all call out and turn away from extremism, dehumanizing rhetoric, and the politics of deliberate cruelty.”

Kirk’s assassination has prompted worries about copycat attacks.

Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have recently canceled events following Kirk’s murder, citing concerns about copycat violence.

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said she had postponed two events in North Carolina this weekend following the assassination of Kirk. And U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican, said for now, she was canceling all outdoor and public events.

No_Celery_5373 on September 12nd, 2025 at 20:17 UTC »

It looks like he was killed by an internet edge lord, possibly a groyper,

But that's not going to stop violent thugs like this guy who just want a civil war to begin with, apparently.

Prior_Coyote_4376 on September 12nd, 2025 at 20:15 UTC »

They don’t want any Democrats standing up for us. Pritzker is one of the first Governors who called out this administration for copying the tactics of Nazis. He sheltered Texas Dems when they were planning to use gerrymandering to end democracy in their states.

“The authoritarian playbook is laid bare here. They point to a group of people who don’t look like you and tell you to blame them for your problems. I just have one question: what comes next?

After we’ve discriminated against, deported, or disparaged all the immigrants and the gay and lesbian and transgender people, the developmentally disabled, the women and the minorities. Once we’ve ostracized our neighbors and betrayed our friends after that. When the problems we started with are still there, staring us in the face.

What comes next? All the atrocities of human history lurk in the answer to that question. And if we don’t want to repeat history, then for God’s sake in this moment, we better be strong enough to learn from it.”

— Gov JB Pritzker

CrucioIsMade4Muggles on September 12nd, 2025 at 20:12 UTC »

Right wing influencer suffers horrific political violence at hands of right wing follower of right wing influencer. Right wing's response: advocate political violence against the left.

-.-