Chicago Politics

Press Availability 5.27.25

Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson hosts press availability.

Transcript

1:02 Good morning, everyone. Good morning. I thank you all for being here today. Today I'm joined by members of my administration, our Deputy Mayor of Ponce de Leon for our immigrants, migrants, and refugee rights. We have our Corporation Counsel, Mary Richardson-Laurie. We also have my Deputy Mayor for Community Safety, Gary and Gatewood, Budget Director, Annette Guzman. and then my Chief Operations Officer, John Robertson.

1:37 And so with that, there are a few presentations, and I will turn it over to our Deputy Mayor for Immigrant, Migrants, and Refugee Rights, Ms. Ponce de Leon. Thank you, Mayor. Good morning, everyone. Good morning. Good morning. We wanted to just share today an overview of some of the executive orders that have come out in this new administration that are impacting our immigrant and refugee communities. and focus on one new practice that we saw taking place last week, talk about some of the implications for families and for our city,

2:11 and then Mary Richardson and Lauderdale will say more about the legal ways that we are challenging some of these orders. But I'll start by just saying you might have seen, and obviously it was pretty obvious last week, that across the U.S. and several cities, ICE has begun to detain people in immigration court. So, you know, typically that has not happened in this way, and it was a coordinated effort that we now know is happening across the cities, not just Chicago.

2:43 But it is impacting families because they are showing up for mandated hearings, for mandated appearances, and their cases are being dismissed, and then ICE agents are there ready to serve them with an order for expedited removal and to remove them on the spot. And it's just one other way that we have seen how families are being torn apart, people are not being given access to full legal services and due process,

3:14 and this will have implications along with several of the other executive orders that cause instability, fear, and uncertainty in individual families, but also in our communities and in our city. And so as we think about these executive orders, I'll name a few of them. One is that there's been this challenge to birthright citizenship, and we know there's a long way to go before that happens, but again, it is causing fear and uncertainty in families and in communities.

3:44 We were also, earlier this year, there's an executive order that put a hold on work of refugee resettlement organizations. Those community-based and sometimes national organizations have begun not only to lose funding and to be unable to serve refugees anymore, but some of them have begun to shut down. And so those are people that were here with permission by the U.S. receiving services who no longer have that. And that, again, is causing much uncertainty and trauma to those families.

4:14 We know that TPS, by executive order, was also ended for Venezuelans. And across the country, it's over 350,000 people that may be impacted. Here in Chicago, we will see that, once again, families will be broken apart. People will potentially have to leave the country suddenly and very quickly. And causing the type of instability that looks like children not going to school, people losing their jobs, losing their homes, their apartment, needing emergency services,

4:44 and really causing challenges, again, to our city and to our state to be able to serve those families. We have seen the international student visas be revoked and the impact here with Chicago City with major universities. We know from our immigrant community partners that we're seeing that impact those international students. And then certainly two other executive orders and changes that have instilled much fear in our communities and will keep people from seeking emergency care or going to work or sending their children to school.

5:19 One is the non-citizen registration, which any non-citizen that is 14 years or older who has not yet been registered in one way or another through immigration proceedings needs to be registered. People are afraid. They don't know should they go, should they not go, will they be able to return home to their families. And then the IRS is now sharing data with ICE, and that traditionally has not happened historically, again causing much fear in these communities.

5:50 I wanted to highlight those because as we think about Chicago and Illinois, how we protect all of our residents and citizens is important and what it means for our services as people lose the ability to work and the city may have to, you know, find ways to step up as people seek emergency shelter or food or other types of care. On the next slide, a couple of resources to share. One is this new immigration hub for Illinois, the city, our Office of Immigrant and Migrant and Refugee Rights, partnered with IDHS and ICER, the Resurrection Project, and the National Immigrant Justice Center.

6:31 It's a really rich website that basically has resources, information that we were all sharing in one way or another. Now they're centralized in this hub and continuing to push out the hotline that ICER has, 1-855-435-7693, a centralized way for people to seek resources. And then just one last thing, part of what you'll find on that website is some tips for creating a family emergency plan. So as people are dealing with the uncertainty being caused by the executive orders and by the recent, you know, deportations or detentions happening in immigration court, families can be prepared, preparing their documents, making sure their children have an adult to care for them if they're separated, and being certain that they have their financial assets in order if they were to be separated.

7:24 So that is a tool that we are promoting and sharing so that families can get the most information and resources that they need to make informed decisions for themselves and their families. Thank you. Good morning. Mary Richardson-Laurie Corporation Counsel. The mayor thought it was important that we share with you some of the actions that we've taken legally since the start of the new federal administration.

7:56 As I walk through those in total, well, I won't be able to mention all of them because there's been over 30 legal filings. Some of them are direct complaints. Some of them are amicus briefs. Some are in the form of administrative responses. And we've had some areas of significant success. success. With respect to DOGE, our first filing that is referenced on the screen, we challenged

8:31 along with a host of other cities legal actions that were taken, illegal actions that we thought were taken by the DOGE department. That is actually not a department. And essentially We they fired probationary federal employees and we challenge their ability to do so under the Separation of Powers Act. Why is that important? These are employees that reside in Chicago, that provide services, that impact our ability

9:03 to service the citizen. The AFGE, the next item listed, this is a direct complaint that the city of Chicago filed. probably the one that's received the greatest amount of national attention because it's affected approximately two dozen federal departments. It, too, is associated with the mass layoffs. But let me give you an example of the kind of mass layoff impact

9:35 that that particular series of actions had on Chicago. When we deploy services around weather events, we are that city, whether it's flooding, snow events, we have to rely on the weather services employees. to do our job, to make sure citizens are safe, to protect the interests of 77 communities, 50 wards. Those employees that were terminated adversely impact our ability to provide a safe and secure city.

10:13 We also allege in our complaint that the Separation of Powers Act did not allow them to take that action. The Administrative Procedures Act did not allow them to fail to give proper notices. So we prevail in receiving a preliminary restraining order. We are now in the Supreme Court as they decided to forego the appellate court,

10:49 and we will seek proper recompense on behalf of the city. When that stay occurred, it affected the kind of departments where there were federal employees that affected OVM, USAD, Commerce Department, Energy Department, Interior Department, Labor Department, State Department, Transportation, Veterans Affairs, EPA, Small Business Association,

11:26 Social Security Administration, HHS, HUD Energy counted among them. So each of those federal employees that also live and work in this city, help us to provide services in this city, affect the millions of citizens in this city, Their termination, based on our filing, has stayed, and we are now before the Supreme Court asking for support in our position that there was no authority, absent Congress, for them to risk these employees.

12:04 Our other filings include Homeland Security, let me start with the FEMA because it builds on what Bea was just referencing. Many people think of that and they think solely of migrants. I also want you to think of it in terms of services provided by small businesses to those

12:35 migrants, by midside businesses to those migrants. Those services have been provided. They were providing under the existing federal rules. They were provided in accordance with the Separation Powers Act and authorized by Congress. They were provided and we are entitled to the proper remuneration and coverage of our costs in providing those services. So we file a complaint and challenge the federal administration.

13:08 I want to focus you on one of our latest filings. It's called Securing Our Cities, where we've challenged the Department of Homeland Security. In that filing, we are alleging that they failed to comply with the Separations of Powers Act, they failed to comply with the Administrative Procedures Act, but here's why it's important for you and the citizens of this city, our 50 wards, our 77 community areas.

13:40 The Securing Our Cities program is about terrorism. I was the building commissioner on 9-11. I know what that looks like. I know what the adverse impact is. I know what the resources are. Many of you were around during that time, and you know as well. Under that act, the city is identified as a large city whose costs are to be covered, and they have slowed that.

14:14 What that means is the fire resources we need. We can't buy the equipment we need, the police services we need, the 911 center, which I negotiated during my first tour of duty here. The services we provide though through that body, which deployed for the entire city on 9-11, will be compromised. So we have challenged that, and we are awaiting an outcome.

14:47 We filed 19 amicus briefs across a plethora of areas. Birthright citizen, as Bea has referenced, which is a bedrock constitutional consideration for each of us as citizens of this country. It is the thing that anchors us as a democracy. The other legal actions include, among them, the Department of Transportation and slowing or failing to pay grant dollars.

15:26 That impacts our airport operations, which we are the transportation hub still of the United States. We must be able to properly operate those facilities and absent proper remuneration payment, federal employees that help us with things from aviation issues, aviary issues, bird flight, that impacts planes, et cetera, all those impact the services we render, not only to

16:00 our citizens, but those from around the globe that fly through our airports. We challenged on gender identity. There is an EO that was issued that impacts the passports of those who are transgender, non-binary, intersex, but ultimately also ask that they waive their rights with respect to that identity that they're entitled to claim as citizens.

16:36 We've challenged the retraction of Head Start funds. That affects the children of the city. Imagine that choice, retraction of funds that impact adversity children. And we are also a cultural center, so we've challenged grants, arts and grants. But noting back earlier with some of the administrative challenges that we finally have had, one of which was in the area of the CDC, that administrative challenge affected 519 city employees.

17:11 We challenged it. It was rescinded. Those 519 city employees are employed today. We will continue to challenge legally those actions, whether by EO, directive, or memo, which adversely impacts the citizens of our 77 communities and our 50 wards. Gary? All right. We'll talk a bit about some of the impact that the Trump administration can have on community violence intervention.

17:46 And then obviously we'll get into the Memorial Day weekend and just the work so far this year. As you can see up there, $811 million in cuts to the Department of Justice. And obviously those cuts include impacting victim services and community violence intervention. We have a couple of organizations here directly in the city that we work closely with. One large group is losing $3.7 million, Metropolitan Family Services, and two of our groups in Englewood who have been doing a lot of work on the ground.

18:19 And as you all are aware, Englewood had the second largest reduction in homicides last year, doing part to some of the street outreach work, but obviously a lot of it, the work of the Chicago Police Department and commander courts and the work that they do down in Englewood. but it's literally everybody coming together. So it's not just that these cuts have an impact on the operations of the work. These are actual lives that are being impacted on a day-to-day basis. We can talk about why this matters a bit here. Some studies are showing that violence is down 41% in some of those hot spots.

18:53 The work that's including peacekeepers in our police department and all of our work coming together is really driving how some of that violence is going down in particular places. The reason that this matters is we have continued to expand our community violence intervention work and our Chicago Police Department partnerships as a part of the People's Plan for Community Safety. As you all are aware, we work with the business community, the philanthropic community, to expand that funding in this work. We can expand that funding and sustain that funding, but obviously the cuts from the federal level can harm that work.

19:28 um we're incorporating our street outreach partners along with the chicago police department in large gatherings and how we manage those large gatherings some of those events that we partnered with them on we had this past weekend late night basketball which we had in washington park and malcolm x college um several hundred folks were there had a great time um you know i to give a special Thank you to Commander Williams, Commander Williams in the 2nd District, and Commander Byer in the 12th District for providing additional support.

20:00 We also had our street outreach partners at HACLAVICE also. We had city employees volunteer, parks. So many people came together to partner to create that safe space for young folks and young adults. So, the Memorial Day weekend is just where we are so far year-to-date, and we often talk about. Month-to-date, our violent crime is down. So our month-to-date, our violent crime is down 24 percent, our homicides are down 25 percent, shootings month-to-date are down 39 percent, and robberies are down 32 percent.

20:33 Year-to-date, our violent crime is down 21 percent, our homicides are down 24 percent, and our shootings are down 33 percent. Our robberies are down 36 percent. Now, I'll talk a bit about how some of that work came together this weekend. As you all know, some of you attended the press conference on Thursday. We launched our Summer Operations Center, which is operated out of the Office of Emergency Management and Communications and partners of the Chicago Police Department, the Mayor's Office, and all of our infrastructure departments,

21:04 which are led by Deputy Mayor Lori Lipson and obviously our Chief Operating Officer, John Robeson. All of our public safety departments and infrastructure departments and all agencies came together throughout the weekend from Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and even yesterday to coordinate on the nearly 100 events that we had this weekend, including Swingos Fest that had around 40,000 people attend. The assets that we had on the streets, including salt trucks from the Department of Streets and Sanitation,

21:35 making sure we had adequate resources around our entire city. The EOC, the Emergency Operations Center, housed 15 agencies to coordinate that planning, making sure information was exchanged between our agencies and our partners to make sure people understood how we would be working together. Obviously, we utilized the city's camera network to make sure, not only for large-scale events, but also activating around occurring events in city neighborhoods to make sure people were safe and they felt supported. Again, we have those coordination calls, and we'll continue those coordination calls

22:08 all the way through Labor Day for the rest of the summer. And our agencies worked tirelessly. I can't thank our agencies enough. You know, every commander in the city was out this weekend, and the mayor will talk about that. The Chicago Police Department was out in full force along with our street outreach partners, our city agencies, to continue to drive violence down. Obviously, there were a couple of homicides this weekend, and that is always tragic. But the work that is happening to drive violence down has to continue.

22:39 Regardless of federal cuts, we're going to continue to do our work here in the city of Chicago. and provide services and support for those who are in need and continue to do our work to keep people safe. Thank you to our deputy mayors, Ponce de Leon and Gatewood. Thank you both for your leadership and to our corporate counsel, Mary Richardson-Laurie. Again, I do want to just lift up the collective work that my administration is putting forward to all of the commanders who were present, to our police superintendent, Snelling,

23:15 and his entire team, Talley, DeVries, Orsetti, and Hine. All of them are doing an incredible job working in concert with the full force of government. And much work still ahead, and we're grateful that there is a community response to the needs that this city has had for a very long time, and that community response is leading to a safer Chicago. With that, we'll open it up for questions. Okay, so we'll do one question, one follow-up.

23:46 We'll go to Justin Craig and then snake around here. Morning, Mayor. Good morning. You know, last week in Springfield, this week, a lot of things going on. But on the transit bill, you know, it seems it's possible that they try to tackle the structure and governance part and not revenue. Do you think that's acceptable to do one without the other at this time, or does the revenue need to come in in May? Well, let me just say that I'm grateful for the collective work that is being done in Springfield.

24:18 As I've said before, our equitable distribution and fair share of resources for Chicago and the region, that's my number one priority, particularly at a time in which we're already seeing the benefits of our investments, right, where hotel occupancy is up, tourism is up. The ridership is up, 300 million riders last year alone, so we know that there is a growing need for reliable and affordable public transportation.

24:49 As far as the parsing out of action, that is typical of Springfield. You know, my position is we have to do both. Right. And, you know, our team has worked hard to ensure that the governing structure is situated properly for the future and the resources. That's where we really have to roll up our sleeves and dig in a little bit more to ensure that that equitable distribution comes to fruition.

25:22 But all in all, sometimes it's manageable to parse elements of something of this magnitude apart, and, you know, I don't necessarily have any grudge towards that effort. You know, the agencies themselves have said they need the revenue to avoid cuts. You know, they would have to schedule, I guess, a series of meetings that they're required to schedule to talk about cuts before they actually implement them. Is there time to bring in that revenue on their timeline if they don't do it, you know, in this week?

25:57 There is some urgency to respond to the financial needs that exist today. You know, as far as the timing is concerned, look, as I said, there's clearly a growing appreciation and confidence in our public transit system. There's more work to be done. But as ridership continues to go up, as well as tourism continues to improve, we were talking about $20 billion of infusion as a result of tourism,

26:28 we're going to have to have a fully funded, well-supported transit system, safe, affordable, and reliable. And, again, there's no secret that we have to move with some expediency to ensure that the funding is there. Again, the timing of it all, probably some room there, not very much, though. Good morning, Mayor. Good morning. Continuing the Springfield theme, when you went down there, you talked about kind of four lower-level asks that you were priorities asking out of Springfield.

27:02 I'm wondering, have you gotten any assurances from, you know, your team down there or lawmakers, you know, that things like the mandated categories for schools, the 9-11 surcharge, March, telecommunication tax, you know them better than I do. Are you getting any, you know, confirmation that what you need is going to come through in this budget with only a couple days left in the session? Well, there is still work to be done, right? What I will say is this. We take nothing for granted. As you know and as you've covered over the years, you know, these last few days, you know, become, you know, paramount.

27:40 Our team is working hard to make sure that, as you mentioned, the categoricals, for instance, for special education, for transportation, bilingual education, that those reimbursements don't drop below what we've had in the past. We actually believe that there should be some increase there. You know, there's nothing that's guaranteed, and our work continues there to ensure that the asks that we have for the people of Chicago, that those asks become realized. Now, there's always room to negotiate, and there's different forms in which these asks can be delivered,

28:16 but we'll continue to work through that process to ensure that those investments reach Chicago. I'm hearing from one of the lawmakers who's key involved with the budgeting who describes your team's presence down there as virtually being absent now. Can you respond to that? We're there. We're there. Hey, Mayor. Hey. I understand your team, along with the subcommittee on revenue, is unveiling your package of ideas next month. Would you say many of those proposals require state legislature approval,

28:49 and if so, are you worried about needing to pass those taxes? during the fall veto session that runs alongside the city's budget cycle? Well, it's evident that, and we've expressed this before, that the levers in which I have direct control over in terms of being able to generate revenue, there's limitations there, and that the state of Illinois, there are far more areas of revenue streams that we will need the state to approve them. Here's what we do know about both of our budgets,

29:21 And these are budgets across America where our expenses have outpaced our revenue, right? And this is a challenge that I know that the state of Illinois just expressed $536 million roughly of anticipated revenue that the state. can no longer account for. These are just challenges all over the country. Denver had a conversation with Mayor Johnston of the challenges that he's faced, what Mayor Bass has had to deal with in Los Angeles. So there's going to be a continued concerted effort on

29:54 my part to ensure that the key investments that we are making continue to push forth our effort to build the safest, most affordable big city in America. Our investments are clearly having some strong returns as violence continues to go down in the city of Chicago. As far as anything more specific beyond that, I will pass it to our budget director, Guzman. Thank you, Annette Guzman, budget director. I invite you to tune in to next week's revenue subcommittee hearing,

30:26 where we're specifically talking about state-level taxes, beginning that conversation with Alders, One, to help them understand, you know, what are the options at the state level? How do we begin these conversations early now ahead of next year's state budget process? How do we get them involved in conversations at the state level early? So we're starting right after the state's budget cycle ends, but we're not just resting on state-level revenues.

30:57 We're going to have continued conversations with our alders about the types of revenues that they have the ability to put into effect as well, as relates to not only this budget but future budgets for the city. And, Mayor, there are now two Chicagoans rumored to be running for president in 2028, of course, Governor Pritzker, and there have been some different analysis pieces written on Mayor Rahm Emanuel floating with the run. What do you think about the potential candidacy of each, and why or why not would they get your endorsement?

31:31 Well, let me just say there's a great deal of political talent that comes out of Chicago, right? I mean, you know, hands down, whether it's Carol Mosley Braun, the ambassador, former United States senator, former United States senator and president of the United States of America, Barack Obama, there's an enormous amount of talent. And, you know, Chicago is built differently, right? And it places us in a unique position to be able to, you know, highlight, you know, what working class people around the country want.

32:02 You know, here's what I can say. My focus will always remain at this point on building the safest, most affordable big city in America. And what I hope is that as we have these conversations nationally around what's best for this country, that we look to what is working in Chicago. We're building more affordable homes, creating more opportunities for our young people, expanding mental and behavioral health care for families. You know, look, we are the most pro-worker city in America.

32:34 That's the type of infusion of excitement that we have to have within our political discourse to ensure that we not only capture the imaginations of working people, but we capture their confidence as well. So, you know, I'm going to continue to lead in the way in which I believe the people of this country want. You know, look, you have a great deal of hostility coming from the federal government. You know, the fact that the president of the United States of America is cutting off food supply and medicine to working people and families across this country, that is an act of war.

33:11 And we're going to need leaders who are prepared and willing to stand up for working people because this battle has reached our front doors all across America where people are struggling and suffering. And in order to alleviate that pain and discomfort, it's going to require bold leadership. And we can't tippy-toe and nibble around the edges. We have to be very forthright and very determined to ensure that the values of working people get fully expressed as well as exercised in our policies.

33:41 Good morning, Mayor. Yes, it is. What's your reaction to last week's social media posts incorrectly tying the suspect in the D.C. shooting to you as well as Alderwoman Rosanna Rodriguez-Sanchez and other elected officials? And can you comment specifically on whether you agree with the demand from her ex-staffer's lawyer that Alderman Rabin Lopez apologize to these officials, including you? Well, let me just make sure that we focus our attention on the people who are hurting in this city and across this country. You know, this act of violence and terror that was clearly motivated by anti-Semitism,

34:20 we have to, in very certain terms and unequivocally, not just denounce but rebuke those acts of terror and that the people of Chicago stand in complete solidarity with the Jewish community. But we also cannot lose sight on what I believe that the vast majority of Chicagoans and Americans want. They want a peaceful resolution. And you can reject terror and call for the releasing of hostages as well as for an end to the bombings.

34:55 We've done that as a city. We were one of the first cities in America to call out the attacks against the Jewish community and against the state of Israel when Hamas went and directed their attention directly towards civilians. It's horrific. And we cannot deny the fact that there are thousands of Palestinians who are being harmed and bombed and killed across that region.

35:26 Here's what I'm calling for ultimately. I'm calling for a sensible and peaceful resolution to this war. You know, as far as, you know, politicians looking to incite more fear and violence, that is just as much an act of terror as that which is being promulgated in that entire region. And it is incredibly irresponsible. In fact, I find it to be absolutely grotesque.

35:57 So as far as, you know, you know how people should be motivated in this moment, it's not just about one particular politician who has provocated and incited a great deal of fear and and terror that it has no place in our city. and trying to make these egregious and unsubstantiated connections is proof positive, though,

36:30 that their focus is not only displaced, but it has malicious intent. I'm calling for the people of Chicago to render calm and peace in this moment. When nations are hurting, as a global city, we have to be forthright and elevated in our presentation and not succumb to the dirt and the basement level, hell level engagement.

37:12 It doesn't do anything for the people in this city who are feeling isolated and unprotected. That's my reaction. Thank you. And going back to Justin's question, our understanding is that the CTA budget process begins early fall, so the budget they proposed would have a giant question mark if lawmakers don't figure out the revenue piece this week. Would that concern you? Would there be consistency to ask plans? Well, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that I don't have concerns about budgets across the board here, right?

37:46 Whether it's CTA, Chicago Public Schools, my city budget, the budget that I know that the state of Illinois is grappling with, here's what is most important. There is a commitment to make sure that there's a governing structure that reflects the equitable distribution of services and that we have to fund a system that clearly is underfunded, right? And, you know, as far as, again, the timing, to your colleague's point,

38:17 yes, I am calculating the distance between ensuring that there's funding and how we can continue to grow our system. And we're going to stick to it and work as hard as we can these next few days to be able to come to a reasonable resolution to ensure that the 300 million riders that we had just last year alone, that that number continues to expand. Good morning.

38:48 Good morning. How do you guys plan on $3.7 million loss in federal cuts for violence intervention groups, Citi facing obviously a big, giant deficit? How do you plan on making up for that loss, and how do you think it will affect crime stats? Well, look, it's going to be tough, right, whether it's the $3.7 million or, you know, what's being threatened in the billions at the federal level. Look, we send tax dollars to the federal government, our city does, and we expect a return on that. As you've heard, we are taking every single action, including lawsuits.

39:22 I made that point a couple of months ago that we will sue, and we have. There's some stays on some particular executive orders that the president has attempted to carry out. You know, and this is why this working group is so vital to our work. We have brought together every single sector. We're not going in this alone. And so the solutions that will come from the working group and ideas that will come specifically from my administration to be able to respond to these investments, it's going to take all of us to be able to come to a reasonable conclusion.

39:54 Because, look, to your point, the last thing, the impact that it will have, it will have an impact on the progress that we're making. Violence is down in Chicago. Violence is down in Chicago. Violence is down in Chicago. We are saving lives. We are investing in people. Building the safest, most affordable big city in America, it's not a tagline. That's an actual objective of mine. And we're carrying it out, whether it's the 4,000 affordable homes, the missing middle, to create owner-occupied spaces so that we can build generational wealth

40:29 while also provide more affordable units to families, and then making these critical investments in our neighborhoods so that shootings and robberies don't become the standard, and we're shifting that. So, you know, it's clear that, you know, the president's actions have clearly been inimical, you know, to the interests of working people. We're going to continue to organize and take the full force of government head on so that these investments are not lost

41:01 and the progress that we're making won't be disrupted. I'll add on to that. Sure, please. And Annette, feel free to jump in, too. So obviously we knew that the ARPA cuts would be coming, so a part of that work thinking about, before even getting into the DOJ cuts, a part of that work was working with the Government Alliance of Safe Communities, our partners at the county, our partners at the state, and our partners in business and philanthropy to add additional resources to that portion of our public safety infrastructure to keep that work going.

41:31 Now, that is one big part of our public safety infrastructure, but it's also important that we highlight these cuts are not just impacting violence intervention. As our Corporation Council mentioned, this is impacting our Office of Emergency Management Communications, our fire department, our police department. All of these entities work together to continue to drive crime down. So it's important that people understand we're going to continue to show up and do the work that we have been doing to drive violence down. But these cuts and these threats of cuts are real, so it is incumbent upon us that if we want to continue to see these declines,

42:05 we have to find a way to make sure we are resourcing it across the board. That means we have to find partnerships at different levels and dig a little deeper if we want to continue to see these declines in crime. Thank you. Anything else? And switching gears to CPS, I know the school board has a meeting this week, schools winding down, Pedro Martinez's contract is almost up. Can you respond to some of the reports that school board members have been pressured by the school board president to reverse course on their superintendent's license so you can put in place an interim superintendent,

42:42 which is rumored to be your chief of staff? Yeah, I'm happy to respond. There is no pressure that's being applied for any one particular person. What I have directed the board president to do is to engage with board members to have a fruitful conversation around what we need in a school leader. I've had multiple conversations with board members around this very issue. is because, look, I have to have a leader who recognizes and appreciates the value system in which I'm tethered to.

43:27 And these conversations have been meaningful and effective. Look, when it's all said and done, you know, My decision to ensure that the people of Chicago have a school leader that understands and knows how this moment is transformational, that's what's most important here. Someone who recognizes why, you know, small class sizes are valuable,

43:58 because that affects all students across the city. Every single kindergartner will be in a school where class sizes are far more manageable. You know, ensuring that we're protecting our immigrant students, that has tremendous value. You know, look, as a former public school teacher and someone who sends my children to the public schools in Chicago, that person has to reflect the values of working people and families who are calling on this district to show up for them. So, you know, look, I have not made a final decision.

44:30 I will continue to. have conversations with board members around the values that the people of Chicago have entrusted me to carry out. And, you know, any speculation beyond that is just, you know, just simply just that. Okay, we're just going to do a question today. We can't do a monologue, so just go straight to the question. Thank you. I'll just put my microphone on. Mayor Johnson, ever since the Department of Justice has opened their civil rights, racial discrimination,

45:01 investigation into you and your administration, you've done nothing but attack the Department of Justice and Donald Trump by name, including Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general, who in a recent interview said that your racial discrimination is an open and shut case. So in light of that, a lot of people are wondering what kind of legal advice in light of the fact that you and your administration could be responsible for millions upon millions of dollars in lawsuits, what kind of legal advice are you getting?

45:49 Okay, thanks for the question. So here's what's important here, that the conversation around what does it mean to have an administration that reflects the values of the people of the city of Chicago and whether or not that approach is something that the administration subscribes to. Clearly they don't. You know, we have the most competent, talented, loving, diverse administration. Sixty-four percent of the administration is made up of women, and there's value there.

46:24 And, you know, it certainly is different than, you know, the Trump administration, right, where you have pro wrestlers and individuals who, quite frankly, should address their addiction to controlled substances. And as someone who is running a department that knows nothing about Department of Human Services, right, There's a degree of, again, frustration that the American people are experiencing simply because, you know,

47:02 the Trump administration, again, is more interested in the country club than the country. You know, my administration speaks to the values of the people of this city and around the country. And as we continue to drive violence down in the city of Chicago and as our investments continue to go up, It has proved positive that my administration not only reflects the values and the diversity and the competency of our city, but there are actual positive results that we can speak to. Last week I asked you about the racist rhetoric that you have used on the campaign trail

47:34 and the racist policies, hiring policies, that the city is currently being investigated for. You said you didn't answer the question, including a question about Robert Gomez. It's either now or we're going to keep moving, sir. You know, a lot of Chicagoans have said that they want this question answered. That's fine. Just ask the question. And you interrupting a question that real Chicagoans want to have. I understand. Mr. Kelly, are you okay, sir? Just ask the question.

48:05 You seem a little heavy. Let me just say this one more time. If you don't ask the question, we're going to move on to the next person. Ask the question. Go for it. A lot of Chicagoans, actually hundreds of thousands, millions of Chicagoans have asked, have commented on my last video, want to know about, for example, the case of Robert Gomez, the Riverwalk restaurateur, who had his license yanked without any explanation, costing the city, by the way, $800,000.

48:39 If you could go back to last week when I asked you this question and before the DOJ and others are not investigating this Mr. Kelly, you've got to ask your question Would you answer the question? What is the question? The people of Chicago want to know why you are engaging in racist rhetoric and hiring practices Thank you for that question and I fundamentally oppose and reject the premise of your question Thank you, we'll go to Tara now Yes, it is Let's shift to the bears, your favorite topic.

49:13 Yeah. So we're kind of closing time in Springfield. We know that they've been in active talks about. Getting some kind of funding for a new stadium with lawmakers there. Is the city engaged in any conversation with lawmakers during this last week to try to maintain, keep them here in Chicago? Well, look, the door is still open for the Bears to remain in the city of Chicago. I've expressed, you know, my commitment and our team has put forth terms that we believe are fair and are attractive.

49:47 You know, obviously at this point, I've done everything that I possibly could do to ensure my commitment to the Bears in our city, and they need support from Springfield. I mean, that's really what it comes down to. Those conversations have always been led by the Bears because just like the Bears had to come to me about how the city could wrap itself around an agreement, and we were able to respond to the organization,

50:19 the Bears also have the responsibility to speak to the leadership in Springfield in order to secure a stadium. Look, that is out of my control at this point. If the Bears do not receive support from Springfield, then they'll have to make decisions that are best for their organization. As far as I'm concerned, you know, the door is still open. Just to clarify, is the city engaged in any conversations of its own in Springfield regarding the Bears? The city of Chicago has done its part in communicating directly with the Bears.

50:50 The Bears have the responsibility, just like they came to the city of Chicago, to go to the state of Illinois for support. If the state of Illinois decides that they're not going to provide any financial support for the Bears, then the Bears will have to make a decision accordingly. And then if I could just ask you quickly, historically we've seen, you know, very violent Memorial Day weekends, and this year we didn't. It's obviously been touted today as a success. Can you talk about that and moving forward in that same theme into the summer?

51:23 Well, you know, again, I do appreciate the collective work that we have put forward. You know, I said that we needed to promote 200 more detectives, and we've done that. And now the clearance rate, I believe, for just this year alone is at 85%. You know, and we're using those same measures to not just resolve and bring closure to homicides, but to also to resolve and bring closure to shootings.

51:54 If you shoot someone or shoot at someone or shoot in this city, we're going to hold you accountable. We're going to hold you accountable. It's the level of terror and discomfort that has been the prevailing form of existence in this city has gone on too long, and that's why the investing in detectives and the entire detective division was so critical. But it's not just policing. It's policing and youth employment. It's policing and behavioral mental health support services. We know that 40% of 911 calls used to comprise primarily 40% of those calls were mental health crises.

52:32 Now that we've expanded the CARE program, crisis assistance, recovery, engagement, we have allowed for paid professionals to show up to those mental health crises, then freeing up law enforcement to respond to the other areas of concern. I don't think we should, you know, diminish, and we certainly should not diminish, the investments in housing and youth employment. All of these are efforts to bring the full force of government to show up for the people of Chicago.

53:02 Violence is down in Chicago. Investments are up in Chicago. I'm going to build the safest, most affordable big city in America. And even when detractors wanted to push back against our approach, they talk about timing. The conversation really has to be about commitment. I'm committed to making sure that every single neighborhood across this city is safer. And the work that we're doing, there's still much work to be done. And we're going to continue to bring everybody together. to ensure that all 77 neighborhoods can experience the vibrancy and the beauty of this city

53:37 and do it by feeling safe and experiencing safety. Thank you for that question. You're welcome. Hi, I'm Mallory with BBM. Hi. I have a question in light of the Liverpool tragedy. We're moving into the summer festival season. Are you changing the safety plan according to these kinds of moves, this kind of car ramming into crowds, pride coming up, any kind of comments you can make on our safety plan as a city with this kind of tragedy hanging over us and happening again?

54:09 Is this a trend that we now need to kind of look at and put safety guardrails in place for crowds? Well, we do have safety measures in place for large events. We just talked about the success of Swayneos and other community events that are being held all over the city of Chicago. Of course, it's still something that I think about, and we are taking effective steps towards ensuring full safety.

54:40 I'm going to turn it over to my chief operations officer because he can speak directly to this, John Robertson, who led the DNC and other large-scale events across this city. John. Good morning. John Robertson, Chief Operating Officer. One of the things that our emergency management and operations team does is every time there is an incident, whether it's here in Chicago or anywhere around the world, they look at those types of incidents, and then we have the opportunity to then do a review of our standard operating procedures.

55:11 If we feel that based upon a specific event that there are enhancements that need to be made, if there are changes that need to be made, then our emergency operations team takes a look at those things, and we will adapt and change our plans as necessary in order to meet the needs of the moment. And switching to Springfield, it's a delicate balance. I mean, speaking with state lawmakers, they're looking for funding with federal government cuts. It's been a challenge for them.

55:42 We're talking about the city of Chicago also having to face those same challenges. Now that we're in that final week and we have issues like where are we finding actual funding for public transit, where are we going to find things, you're going now to not calling out President Trump, but you're saying, you know, I'm putting a stamp on it. This is our feeling towards, as the city of Chicago, what we stamp for our values. How do we get money? I guess just give me a comment a little bit on the balancing act of all this as we look to Springfield.

56:18 That's a great question. The focus has to be on the people, who we are advocating for. And I get it. I understand that your characterization, my position directed towards the president. How do we balance these conversations when the federal government has a responsibility to actually do its job by supporting the people of this country?

56:51 You know, look, I actually appreciate – I'm going to just say this. During the governor's budget address, Governor Pritzker, he described the steps and the actions of this president aiken to how Nazi Germany became real. And Governor Pritzker eloquently not just described it, but offered up a warning.

57:25 You have a president that is cutting off medicine and food, a president that is working to erase culture. I mean, you can't make this up. He's doing it in plain sight, literally doing it in plain sight. And then those of us who study history and those of us who have been impacted by these evil, malicious, ungodly acts,

57:55 people at the time wondered how an entire nation and or globe could see in plain sight the wickedness and the viciousness against a particular group of people. and how we are now still fighting the anti-Semitic governance, right, that still unfortunately has place in this society.

58:27 But we're also watching in plain sight the president of the United States of America carry out the playbook that was done against an entire people group, and he's doing it right here in this country, against working people. Erasing black folks from museums and the history and the culture, coming after leadership. And so when you ask how we balance that, you have to fight it and resist it with everything that's in you.

59:02 The president of the United States of America is capturing the hopes and aspirations of working people. and holding us hostage as he works to implement and annihilate democracy. And so the lawsuits that we are pushing, working collaboratively within our city

59:32 to put forth a budget apparatus that protects all the investments as violent crime continues to go down in Chicago. And so this is a fight that this generation has to show up for. Other generational leadership responded in a forceful way, but if I could just be so bold here, they responded late, and too many lives were lost as a result of the late response.

1:00:08 We have to respond much earlier than our ancestors and to ensure that the evolution of our democracy is not interrupted simply because of the threats and the hostage-holding that this administration is putting forward. And so our balance is to continue to do everything within our power to make sure that working people in the city of Chicago are loved and protected and invested in, and we're going to work with the state of Illinois to do just that. Thank you. Can I answer that? Sure, please. So I think the way that we have to balance it is we actually have to talk about it.

1:00:40 We have to be really honest with people. We need you guys to report on it. A lot of people think because the city of Chicago provides a service that that is funded by the city of Chicago. And I get that that is confusing, but a lot of that money comes from the federal government. I think it's important for people to understand that the things that we get direct money from the federal government or pass through from the state of Illinois from the federal government are not city of Chicago issues. You know, cutting off money to CDC impacts our public health departments,

1:01:15 not only in the city of Chicago, but the state of Alabama, the state of Georgia, the state of Louisiana. Cutting off funding for our Head Start programs doesn't just impact the city of Chicago. It impacts red states as well. Cutting off funding or threatening funding for transportation isn't just a city of Chicago issue, and those are not city of Chicago funds. And so I think it's incumbent upon us to talk about it, to be honest with people about where those funds go, come from, and how they impact their day-to-day lives of Chicagoans and residents throughout the entire country.

1:01:52 And we look to you to help us amplify those messages. We provide the information. We get the data out. It's important for you to help us amplify that, because it's not just a city of Chicago issue. It's not just a blue state, blue city issue. These impact everyone across the country. Hello. Thank you. You're welcome. Hello. Trying to come back to my notes here as I've been listening. You talk a lot about violence being down. But from recent numbers that I've seen, thanks to Jake Sheridan here,

1:02:25 cars stolen are way up, and also robberies have increased since the Lightfoot administration. So all categories of violence are not down. It would be fairer to say there are categories that are down. But could you talk about especially, there's like a doubling of the number of cars stolen. So violence totally is not down. Violent crime is down. Do you not call cars stolen violent crime? So violent crime is down 21%. And whether it's homicides, shootings, shooting victims, our robbery strategy that we put forth just over almost a year ago now, we're down 36%.

1:03:06 This is not to say that we don't have more work to do, right? Look, there's nothing magical about this work. And I'll turn over to our deputy mayor in a second. There's nothing magical about it. It's just intentional. No. Now, you know, look, for decades we have not had the full force of government responding in a unified, harmonious way where you have law enforcement and CVI working hand in hand. You have the city services providing support with everything from tree trimming to making sure that people have access to jobs.

1:03:45 So, like, if the suggestion is somehow that I'm completely satisfied, no, we're not. But you can't ignore the fact that violent crime is down in the city of Chicago, and that's the message that we want to make sure permeates throughout the city of Chicago. But as far as some of the specific numbers around car, vehicular carjackings, those numbers are down. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I got you. Yeah, motor vehicle thefts, right? So thank you for your question, Marianne.

1:04:16 Motor vehicle thefts are down by 2,500 motor vehicle thefts so far this year in comparison to last year, which is a 29% decrease. Happy to share these numbers with you. You can also see them on our violence reduction dashboard. Motor vehicle thefts from year over year are down 29%. Motor vehicle thefts? That's a card. The numbers that were listed were just double from the election. Where are you getting that from? This was that Ajax has a crime. Okay, so we're quoting.

1:04:47 Who are you quoting again? It's a crime-related upset that's used by a lot of CPI. Yeah, so, yeah, I am literally pulling our daily report right now. So here's what I want to ask you to do. How about we don't get our sources from, and no disrespect to whoever this person is, But I'm just saying, Marianne, so the source through Jake, through someone else, I can't tell you how to get your source. What I'm saying is the source that we use as a city, we're down, okay? And so you can reference that source and maybe reference Jake for something else in the future.

1:05:22 Yeah, but again, it's down 29.1% compared to last year on motor vehicle thefts. Thank you. We saw an uptick in motor vehicle thefts when we first came in and worked with Kia and Hyundai and others to bring motor vehicle thefts down. They decreased last year. They've decreased this year. And, again, it's at a 29.1% decrease year over year. Thank you. You're welcome. This one might not be as controversial. NASCAR, do you anticipate the city will want to extend that contract after this year? Because I believe it is up at the end after this session in July.

1:05:55 Here's what I want. I just want NASCAR to take place without rain. If we just get one year to experience it, let me just give a special thanks to NASCAR. They've done an incredible job working with the community all over the city of Chicago. The programming that they have provided, the investments that they've made have been solid. You know, as far as the future, I'm going to have that conversation. We're going to continue to work with the neighborhood that has been most impacted, The outreach that has been done in and around NASCAR has been strong.

1:06:30 And, again, we're just hoping that we don't have the torrential rainfall so that we can actually see the full beauty of NASCAR. We do know that in terms of viewership, you know, they broke records. So that's good for the city of Chicago. But it also does speak to the, I don't know, the strength of our city. We hold large events really well, and that's why I believe that while we're experiencing population growth, hotel occupancy is up.

1:07:02 You're seeing more people getting on public transportation. This is not to say that we have done all that we can. All I'm simply saying is, you all, with things that are controversial or less controversial, here's what we can say as a city. We are safer and more affordable, and we're going to continue to grow that out. and if NASCAR plays a part of the future of the safest, most affordable big city in America, we're, of course, going to have that conversation. Thank you for that. Hi, Mayor. Hi. I think I'm taking us home.

1:07:33 Let's go back to Springfield where maybe they're talking money. Now, why would we want to – no, I'm teasing. Yeah, right. All right. It's a delightful place. I might stop by this weekend. So they're talking money. They're talking reform. Maybe they're talking – maybe they're going to punt on money. But among the reforms being discussed is more police on routes. Do you want the state to spend more money on transit security? And have you thought about what you would do with freed up police resources in that scenario?

1:08:03 Well, look, here's what I want. I want a safe, affordable, and reliable transportation system. And there are many ways in which we can get at that. Look, policing plays a part in our overall, you know, community safety strategy. It's policing and, right? You know, with the amount of families that are unhoused in this city and lack behavioral and mental health support services is why we're expanding those services. I mean, there's no secret here that there's drug abuse

1:08:33 and other, you know, manifestations of mental and behavioral health challenges. We're going to take it head on. It's why we expanded the care program, and we've grown our shelter beds by 126%. So it has to be all-encompassing. This is the difference between, I believe, the way others have gone after this before. I know one of your colleagues asked, what do you attribute to some of the numbers reflecting a downward trend in violence?

1:09:06 It's that we're not taking a singular approach. It's policing and behavior and mental health support services. It's policing and shelters and building more affordable housing. If it's just spoken in the silo, that is the failure of the past. We're not going to get locked back into that approach because we saw that that approach did not reap the full benefit. And, you know, it's an ongoing conversation, but it has to be the full force of government approach to have a transportation system that continues to grow and show up for working people.

1:09:39 I'm going to parse your words. That's what we do here. You said today you've not made a final decision about the new CPS CEO. So question, does Christina Passione Zayas recognize the value system you're tethered to with respect to CPS? She's my chief of staff. This entire dais reflects my values. Now, believe it or not, we do have some tense conversations. Iron sharpens iron. You know, and there's a benefit to that.

1:10:11 I mean, all of us come from different experiences, right? Beatrice Ponce de Leon has a long track record of working in community. Annette Guzman has had, you know, from the county to COPA, you know, poor John Robertson, he's had to work for a bunch of mayors, right? Mayor Richardson and Laurie. In fact, at one point, both of them were in buildings, right? And aviation and the school board, right? Gary and Gatewood, statewide efforts around reducing violence in the state of Illinois

1:10:45 and bringing people groups together. Do you want CPZ around CPF? So here's what I want. I want a person who, again, understands the values that I have. Look, there's no secret that I have repeatedly pushed this city to show up for working people as it relates to our public education system. There's no secret there. Some of you were around when I took an arrest blocking the elevators of another administration because they were trying to close Diet High School.

1:11:22 And now there are six individuals that are going on to play Division I basketball. Well, all I'm saying is, like, my credibility around this issue is unmatched. And I say that with all due humility, right? And there's never been a mayor that has ever committed to a fully elected representative school board. There's never been a mayor who sent their children to the public schools. There's never been a mayor that taught in our public schools. There's never been a mayor that has actively advocated for neighborhood schools in a way in which I've done.

1:11:53 So whomever we settle on, you best believe that person is going to be cold. Thank you all. Appreciate you. Thanks.

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