City leaders outline summer safety plan ahead of holiday weekend

Dana Rebik
·2 min read
6

CHICAGO — During a press conference on Friday, city leaders outlined how they plan to keep Chicago safe during the holiday weekend and into the summer months.

Last year, nine people were killed and 50 others were injured in shootings over Memorial Day weekend. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling that they are committed to reducing that number, keeping the public safe and keeping youth engaged in safe activities.

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“No death is tolerable. I don’t want anyone to get shot or die in the City of Chicago. That’s why we are putting forth our community safety plan to respond to what, quite frankly, has been ignored needs for generations,” Johnson said.

During the press conference, city leaders unveiled a multi-tired plan to tackle summer violence, detailing a new $46.5 million initiative called “One Summer Chicago.”

To keep kids out of trouble, the city is offering jobs for 28,000 young people, from ages 16 to 24, which pay $15.80 an hour. That includes a new program through Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) where 100 youth will be trained as peacekeepers.

“We are working with 100 young people to participate in a pilot program to become trained peacekeepers through a collaboration with GoodKidsMadCity and the Alternative Schools Network. Youth committed to reducing violence in their communities and promoting messages of peace will receive 60 hrs of training over the course of six weeks, DFSS Commissioner Brandie Knazee said.

Snelling said the police department will be allocating more resources on the lakefront and will be checking people’s bags at the city’s 22 beaches, which all opened on Friday.

Additional officers will also be deployed to the Central Business District.

The Chicago Office-Emergency Management (OEMC) will be monitoring activity from its summer operations center and will address concerns and deploy resources as necessary.

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Snelling said that this year, officers will not be asked as often to work on their scheduled days off.

“We’re making sure our officers have advance notice so that they can plan around these changes. Our officers are out there each and every single day protecting the city. We have to make sure we prioritize their well-being, especially during this busy summer,” Snelling said.

In years past, there have been several teen takeover incidents at beaches and downtown. Snelling said teens are welcome to enjoy those areas, but added that CPP will be monitoring social media for any planned events, in an effort to get ahead of any potential problems.

When asked whether there will be any curfews implemented for youth this summer, Johnson said no, and added that he felt such a move could cause greater tension.

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