CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson says he’s committed to making long-term investments to solve the city’s ongoing gun violence problem.
Unlike Mayor Lightfoot, Mayor Brandon Johnson did not hold an Accountability Monday to analyze the weekend’s violence. In fact, at Monday’s event, Mayor Johnson avoided commenting on last weekend’s shootings and murders. Instead, he emphasized the investments..
But Chicago is seeing a third straight week of summer violence.
Police said eight people were killed and 44 injured in the shootings that took place between Friday night and Sunday. Eight of the victims were under the age of 18.
Mayor Johnson argues there are no quick fixes and the city must address the root causes of the violence, redirecting resources to areas that have suffered for years.
On the West Side on Monday, the mayor helped break ground on the Austin HOPE Center, a place where residents can access mental health care and community programs.
“As a proud Austin resident, I couldn’t be prouder to be there to witness the first steps of the new Austin Community Health Hub because this is a hub, this is not a one-off project, this is a vision for the entire Westside,” Johnson said.
The Johnson administration’s safety plan includes $100 million in violence prevention spending, a youth recruitment drive and the hiring of 400 new private police officers. But as the mayor implements his strategy, some city leaders are growing worried.
“We need tools to disperse large gatherings before they become violent,” said Councilman Brian Hopkins (Ward 2).
Hopkins, who represents downtown Streetsville, appeared on WGN-TV Political Report to call for the imposition of an 8 p.m. curfew for most teenagers after a couple was assaulted as they were walking down the street.
“The curfew was enacted in response to hundreds of young people gathering aimlessly on our streets and sidewalks on summer nights,” Hopkins said.
Mayor Johnson opposed a curfew, telling the Chicago Sun-Times editorial board that “the data shows that arbitrary curfews do not produce positive outcomes.”
When the Sun-Times asked the mayor about ShotSpotter, he responded, “We’ve discontinued ShotSpotter. Why? Because it’s proven not to work.”
