Chicago Violence

Lightfoot Introduces Three-Year Chicago Violence Reduction Plan

The plan looks at the uptick in city violence, the coronavirus response and economic downturn

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Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a comprehensive violence reduction plan Tuesday, the first ever introduced from the City of Chicago.

The "Our City, Our Safety" initiative provides a plan to reduce violence throughout the city over the next three years, the mayor's office said in a press release.

“The epidemic of violence is a national public health crisis that has taken the lives of too many across our city and our entire country," Lightfoot said. "Just as Chicago has come together to fight the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on our communities, we must do the same to address the immense challenges they continue to face due to violence of all kinds."

Lightfoot said that she has been working with the Office of Violence Reduction team, other departments, agancies and stakeholders to address a variety of problems.

According to the mayor's office, more than 3,000 people have been killed in Chicago since 2016 with more than 12,000 shot. The office said that the violence is a public health crisis that must be both preventable and treatable.

In order to address the issues, the mayor's plan looks at the following five pillars:

  • Empower and Heal People
  • Protect and Secure Places
  • Improve and Advance Policing
  • Affect Public Policy
  • Plan and Coordinate

The office explained that Lightfoot's plan aims to improve upon "decades of failed police policies and institutionalized racism," which has led to a distrust in law enforcement, especially in Chicago's South and West Sides.

“Reducing violence in Chicago’s communities is far more than just police deployments and manpower, it’s about building trust between officers and the communities they serve through real reforms and community policing,” Chicago Police Department Supt. David Brown said.

Aside form the uptick in violence that this plan seeks to address, the initiative will also be aimed at responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic downturn Chicago has faced, according to the release.

“We cannot address violence without addressing the historic disinvestment in under served communities, particularly Black and Brown,” Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton said. “And so, my Justice, Equity and Opportunity Initiative is extremely excited to partner with the city to address violence from an equity and opportunity lens." 

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