Chicago Democrat’s absurd suggestion for how to cure perverted colleague

A Chicago Democrat made an unorthodox recommendation for the “rehabilitation” of a former colleague after he was accused of sexual harassment and misogyny.

Cristina Pacione-Zayas, chief of staff to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, is reported to have proposed implementing a “peace circle” to heal her ailing colleague, Ronnie Reese, who was later fired from his post for “unwanted and unwelcome” harassment.

The 46-year-old staffer defended her ‘peace circle’ recommendation, claiming the exercise was ‘designed to address other wider communications and management issues’. She denies that it was specifically aimed at addressing the sexual harassment claims against Reese.

A “peace circle” of restorative justice is a process through which a group can attempt to “restore peace” or repair relationships.

As part of the “healing exercise, there is usually an acknowledgment of the damage, and from there there is a shared responsibility for repairing the damage,” Pacione-Zayas said.

Earlier this year, Pacione-Zayas was made aware of three separate complaints filed against Reese, including allegations of misogyny and an alleged inappropriate incident in which Reese told an employee he loved you after an unwanted hug.

In a response to a Human Resources department email acknowledging the July 30 complaint, it was revealed that Pacione-Zayas has already referenced the “restorative justice” model for the disgraced former employee.

Pacione-Zayas, chief of staff to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (left), is said to have proposed implementing a “peace circle” to heal her ailing colleague Ronnie Reese (right), who was later fired from his post for “unwanted and unwanted” intimidation

But the suggestion was opposed by staffers who feared retaliation, the complaint said.

Despite being aware of widespread complaints about misogyny at the time of her “peace circle” recommendation, the chief staffer insisted the suggestion was “separate” from those allegations.

Pacione-Zayas continued to support her bizarre suggestion, claiming there was a need for “due process” surrounding sexual harassment allegations.

“There’s still an opportunity for someone to say, ‘Hey, this is my side of the story,’ and then you monitor and check for any changes or other complaints,” Pacione-Zayas said.

“So that was one track, and then I had to deal with the big general concerns.”

On August 5, Pacione-Zayas claimed she had begun a performance improvement plan so Reese could address the “broader” issues.

A spokesperson for the mayor’s office said the plan had a strict deadline of the end of September, which Reese ultimately did not meet.

Reese subsequently requested an extension and still did not complete the plan’s objectives, a spokesperson told the newspaper Chicago Sun Times.

At that point the process of termination began. The mayor’s office declined to provide copies of the plan, saying it was protected for privacy reasons.

Reese has since been placed on the city’s no-rent list following the release of the complaints, Pacione-Zayas added.

Last Tuesday, Chicago’s embattled mayor faced angry residents at a town hall meeting on the migrant crisis when they called on Donald Trump to “make an example of him.”

Johnson, 48, has had a torrid term as mayor since his election last year, with Chicagoans now speaking out about his handling of the migrant crisis and the massive taxpayer dollars he has poured into the issue.

Johnson’s tenure as mayor of Chicago has been dominated by the migrant crisis, with it revealed earlier this year that he has spent more than $400 million on an influx of more than 42,000 migrants

A lawsuit earlier this year found that more than 42,000 migrants entered Chicago between August 2022 and June 2024, and that Johnson spent as much as $400 million addressing the influx — a large percentage of which went to private companies.

Anger over Johnson’s approach reached boiling point last week when residents were given the opportunity to make their voices heard directly to the Democrat.

An exasperated woman said to him, “We have a billion dollar deficit, and you spent half our money on illegal activities?”

She also cited Johnson’s refusal to assist ICE in allowing Trump’s mass deportation plan, saying, “You all stood there and said you will not allow Trump to come here and deport these illegals.” get… Trump, Tom Homan, give an example of that. this one ne*** here first.’

Johnson took exception to her use of the word “ne***” and turned off her microphone while telling her to only use “appropriate” language.

When her microphone was turned back on, the resident became even more furious as she refused to be silenced by Johnson, barking at him, “Okay, now we’re about to make you all famous.”

Johnson stood with his hands in his pockets and grinned as Chicagoans fumed over his handling of the crisis.