The Breakdown 26

• On November 17, 26-year-old Bethany MaGee was horrifically set on fire by Lawrence Reed, a 50-year-old man with a staggering 72 prior arrests, while riding a CTA Blue Line train in Chicago.
• The brutal attack catapulted discussions around crime policies, highlighting the failures of a judicial system that allowed Reed, a repeat offender, to roam free with an electronic monitoring system.
• Bethany’s story struck a chord in the community, painting her as a kind and hardworking individual whose life was drastically altered by an act of senseless violence.
• Political reactions were swift, with figures from the White House and President Trump denouncing the incident as emblematic of problematic "soft-on-crime" policies pervasive in Chicago.
• The attack ignited urgent calls for transit safety reforms and a more effective response to repeat offenders in order to protect the public.
• In the aftermath, Bethany's family rallied community support through a GoFundMe campaign to aid her recovery as they grappled with the profound impact of the tragedy on their lives.