Chicago Politics

Press Availability 7.28.26

Chapters

Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson hosts press availability.

Transcript

0:38 All right. Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here today. I want to start today by discussing the severe storms which moved through our city on yesterday. I encourage any Chicagoan whose home was damaged by the, once again, heavy rainfall or who has downed trees or persistent flooding on their block to call 3-1-1 or they can also use the SHI 311 app to report any need for cleanup.

1:10 City crews from the Department of Freakton Sanitation have been working tirelessly to clear fallen branches, remove debris, and restore public spaces. On behalf of the entire city of Chicago, I want to thank them for their dedication and service to the people of our city. As we recover in the days ahead, I also encourage everyone to check on your neighbors. Make sure you check on your friends, your family members, especially those who may need a little extra help. Chicago has always met challenges by looking out for one another, and we will continue to do just that.

1:42 I also want to address the yellow banana store closures. As many of you know, changes to SNAP eligibility have left thousands of Illinois families without food assistance. A new report has indicated that 16 percent of Illinois residents who had been receiving food aid have been left without support due to Trump's cuts. Those cuts are having real consequences in our communities. Yellow Banana has cited the impact of SNAP reductions as a factor in its decision to close seven grocery stores in Chicago's south and west sides.

2:20 The city invested more than $13 million to support these neighborhood grocery stores because we know access to healthy, affordable food is essential to the health and well-being of our communities. While these closures are certainly disappointing, they do not change our overall commitment. We remain committed to investing in permanent brick-and-mortar grocery access in neighborhoods that have experienced decades of disinvestment. At the same time, we will continue exploring additional pathways to improve food security,

2:52 including public markets and other innovative models that expand access to fresh, affordable food, while also creating opportunities for local entrepreneurs. We will continue working alongside the City of Chicago Food Equity Council, the Greater Chicago Food Depository, residents, community organizations, and private sector partners so that we can identify long-term solutions that strengthen food access across our city. But while we continue that work, I want families to know that help is available today.

3:23 If you or someone you know has been impacted by the grocery store closures or is struggling to access food, I encourage you to call 211. It's a free confidential service available 24 hours a day that connects residents with food assistance and other essential services. Through 211, residents can be connected to a number of resources, including, but not limited to, the Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC, program, which provides nutrition support for pregnant women, breastfeeding and postpartum women, infants and children up to the age of five.

3:58 The Free Summer Meals for Children program, which provides breakfast and lunch at participating schools and community sites for children and teens ages 1 through 18. Chicago Public Schools meal programs, which provide free breakfast and lunch to all CPS students during the school year, as well as free after-school meals and snacks for students participating in after-school programs. And, of course, nutrition programs for older adults, including congregate dining and participating senior centers

4:29 and home-delivered meals for eligible home-bound seniors. Residents can also access food pantries and community mills through the Greater Chicago Food Depository and its network of community partners. These resources provide free groceries, meals, and other food assistance programs for residents who need that support. I also want to ask every Chicagoan to check in on our neighbors, your friends, and your loved ones, especially older adults, and anyone who may have difficulty getting to the grocery store.

5:00 Sometimes a phone call or ride or just helping someone pick up groceries can make all the difference. I am grateful to announce that Lyft has partnered with the city and United Way to provide immediate support for seniors impacted by these closures. Through a $25,000 contribution, Lyft will fund round-trip rides to grocery stores for senior residents. The program will be administered by United Way through its 211 navigators as a concierge service. Residents will not need to download an app or arrange transportation themselves.

5:33 A 2-1-1 navigator will coordinate the ride on their behalf. This partnership is another example of what we can accomplish when the public, private, and nonprofit sectors come together to meet the needs of our residents. Our administration will continue doing everything we can to ensure every Chicagoan has reliable access to healthy, affordable food, and we will continue investing in the partnerships and solutions that make our neighborhoods stronger. We also know these closures have affected workers and their families. For employees seeking their next opportunity, the city is ready to help.

6:08 Through the Department of Family and Support Services, residents can access employment services, job training, career counseling, and other workforce resources. I encourage anyone in need of support to visit the city's workforce department webpage and connect with a workforce agency in their neighborhood. While we're focused on meeting today's challenges, we are also continuing to invest in Chicago's future. And one of the best examples of that is the work that's being done to create more opportunities for our young people.

6:41 Just two weeks ago, the Miel Cares Foundation launched its Youth Opportunity Fund to support youth-led, safe community events across Chicago. This is a significant investment that not only creates more safe spaces for our young people, but it also empowers youth to imagine, plan, and lead on creating those spaces themselves. Young people ages 14 through 24 in partnership with community organizations can apply for up to $15,000 in funding to bring their ideas to life.

7:13 Those community organizations will administer the funds while providing technical support and safety guidance throughout the planning process. I'm excited to share that in just over one week, the foundation received an overwhelming response from young people eager to create positive spaces for their peers. The interest was so strong that the foundation has already paused applications while it works to fulfill as many qualifying proposals as possible. These youth-led events will begin this weekend, August 1st, and continue throughout the entire month.

7:46 Residents can find them on the MyShy, MyFuture website app, alongside the many other opportunities available for young people across Chicago. I'm also excited to announce another investment in Chicago's young people. Today, we're expanding Chicago YouthWorks by creating more than 2,000 additional paid summer job opportunities during these critical final weeks of summer break through partnerships with community organizations across the entire city of Chicago. Earlier this month, DFS also launched a Career Exploration and Employment Preparation Program, or SEEP.

8:21 This new initiative provides 1,500 young adults ages 18 to 24 with pre-apprenticeship services, job skill training, career readiness, and job placement. This program extends opportunities beyond the summer months, and it helps connect young people to career path employment. Together, these investments mean we've exceeded previous years, creating more than 32,000 paid opportunities for Chicago's young people this year. Every additional opportunity represents another young person gaining meaningful work experience, earning a paycheck, building confidence, and taking the next step towards a brighter future.

9:00 I'm grateful to all of our community partners who have worked alongside the city to make this expansion possible. So thank you all again for indulging me today. And with that, I'm happy to answer. We'll go Justin, then Jake. One question, one follow-up. Thank you. Hey, Mayor. Hey. Good morning. Good morning. So I was going to ask, I think something may have just happened on it. I was going to ask about CPS is budgeting $200 million from a TIF surplus.

9:35 SEIU 73 is, you know, they've been demanding an extra $85 million in TIF surplus be budgeted for. It appears, according to Chalkbeat, that Macklin King is now increasing the TIF surplus they're budgeting for. What should CPS and other, you know, taxing authorities expect from a TIF surplus this year? Obviously, last year you broke a record. Is it going to be closer to that or closer to what it was, you know, prior to 2023?

10:08 Well, first of all, funding our schools to the fullness is the responsibility of the state of Illinois. And as you know, I campaigned on an evidence-based funding formula that would distribute resources equitably across the state of Illinois. The full funding of our public education system should have been fulfilled by this year, according to their own law. And until we receive the full funding from the state of Illinois,

10:38 our district will remain in this type of perpetual peril. And this is just not sustainable. To your point, I've released more TIF dollars into our public schools than any other administration, I believe to a tune of over a billion dollars at this point. I'm going to work with the Board of Education. Of course, I'm going to work with our CEO. along with our labor partners. But we also have to, and I will continue to work with city council members

11:09 who understood the assignment at the time in which I declared those TIF surplus dollars. But, you know, I just want to just be emphatically clear. As much as I've done my part to fulfill the promise of public education, the state of Illinois has to do its part as well. This is not a sustainable way. and constantly bailing out the state of Illinois for its lack of urgency around fully funding our public education system places our workers, our families, and our students in this constant state of anxiety.

11:43 And the best way in which we can ease those concerns, again, is for the state of Illinois to do its part in fully funding our public education system. If CPS is budgeting for a 285 that, you know, puts the total TIF surplus above, you know, somewhere around $550 million, is that feasible? Can you do that this year? Well, look, I'm going to work with city council to continue to do our part to fully fund our schools. But, again, that work entails the state of Illinois doing its part.

12:14 Look, Chicago is the global epicenter of the world. I mean, we are the economic driver for the entire state of Illinois. Fully funding and investing in our public education system is investing in our economy. We know that Chicago is the top destination for college graduates. Today is a little extra emotional. Tomorrow my wife and I will drive down to eastern Illinois as we prepare to drop our eldest son off to yet another fine public institution. And, you know, what I want for Owen and Ethan and Brayden, that's what I want for every family.

12:50 But we need the state of Illinois to, quite frankly, prioritize Chicago, and I don't think we should apologize for that. There's a reason why people come to Chicago. More people are visiting our city than any other time in the history of Chicago. When people come to Illinois, they don't come to Illinois to see Otis. I can tell you that. They come to Chicago, and investing in our public education system and ensuring that our children have opportunities is good for the entire economy of the state. Hey, Mayor. Hey.

13:20 Walter Burnett said he's no longer interested in being CHA CEO. Do you have another name in mind, or are you still searching? Well, look, again, the former alder of the 27th Ward, vice mayor, has served this city honorably. Here's what's most important. The people of Chicago, over 100,000 residents who rely upon public housing, deserve an open and a fair and a transparent process to select the next leader for CHA. That did not happen. I believe it's clear why there was a concerted effort to undermine this process.

13:56 Individuals who represent the old machine, the regime that led to the dismantling of public housing, the dismantling of our public health institutions, particularly our mental health institutions. The same regime that was responsible for school closures moved a process, an illegitimate process, quite frankly, behind closed doors and refused to create a transparent process. That is not the way to gain confidence of the 100,000 plus families that rely upon public housing.

14:30 So we're going to continue to ensure that that process is done openly and fairly. and the leader that the board ultimately selects is someone who's going to believe in what I believe in, which is building the safest, most affordable big city in America. And the way we do that is by creating more affordable housing, especially public housing. What happens now to the $13.5 million in TIF money that the city gave Yellow Banana? Is it all gone, and what's the timeline for a public grocery market or a grocery store?

15:02 Well, look, I will say that the investment that we made was to ensure that the physical structure is ready to receive a grocery store. I'm still committed to ensuring that, whether it's through the public market or the farmer's market or building on the entrepreneur spirit of the city of Chicago. You know, the first small business was established by the individual that established this city, right?

15:34 Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable. So we have a strong hustle in our city where the sort of small business local entrepreneurs is ways in which we build economic enclaves. I'm going to work with partners. We're going to work with our Department of Planning and Development to find pathways to make sure that families have access to healthy and accessible and affordable food. Good morning, man. Good morning. You've not announced, but your political director told Sun-Times that groups asked if it was okay to circulate nominating petitions on your behalf,

16:07 and your operations said yes, nominating petition names a candidate and an office. Who authorized the use of your name? Well, look, there are a number of individuals that are eager to continue the progress that we've made over the course of my first three and a half years. You know, as I've repeated on multiple occasions, there's no mayor in modern history that can ever say that they oversaw the city at a time in which our economy is growing and violence is going down.

16:38 And so, you know, individuals who are motivated to see this work continue, you know, I'm not going to stop, you know, those individuals from making the case. And do you know which groups they are or if any are being paid to gather signatures? You know, I'm not familiar or know at this time, but, you know, I'm sure that it will all come out in the wash.

17:09 Morning, Mayor. If I can follow up on that, obviously there are some other declared candidates for mayor who are out passing petitions today. Are you waiting to make your announcement on your decision to see who else might be getting in the race? I don't make any decision based upon someone else's someone else's desire. that that's never been a behavior of mine. Here's what I've said, and I'll repeat it again.

17:40 My focus primarily at this moment is ensuring that we continue to build progress in this city. And, you know, as much as I know that there's this hurry to get to February, I'm in no rush, right? I don't have a reason to be in a rush. Quite frankly, if there was any reason to be in somewhat of a rush would be to make sure that more progressives get elected in November. I like what's happening in Michigan. We've seen what has happened in Colorado.

18:12 There are some good examples that are happening in places like Memphis. I was just there with Justin Pearson. There are a number of Chicagoans who are down there who understand the connection between Memphis and Chicago. I just had a recent conversation, quite frankly, with Bernice Keene, the daughter of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther Keene, Jr., as we discussed the connection between Memphis and Chicago, fighting for sanitation workers. The incredible declaration that I am a man really elevated the consciousness of America.

18:48 It's why I've invested in our streets and sanitation division, where we're hiring young people to be connected to a division of labor that black men in this country found dignity. I like to think of it as a form of reparations, if you will. That first cohort by the end of next year will be earning $90,000 a year. So we go from I am a man. to young people having opportunities in the very entity of government that black men a generation ago were denied. The point that I'm making is these are the things that I'm concentrating my efforts around.

19:20 How do we employ more young people? How do we continue to drive violence down in the city of Chicago? How do we continue to build more affordable homes? And as I said, there is no mayor in modern history or anyone who is even considering this office that has the track record of fulfilling promises that other administrations refuse to even lift up. Is your campaign or are you aware of any of your allies who might be paying social media influencers to talk you up in the weeks ahead while you wait to make an announcement?

19:56 No, no, but clearly you are noticing that there are more people who are talking me up. Quite frankly, it's been organic, you know, and I think it's a testament to how I believe people are responding in this moment. And this is no disrespect to mainstream network media, but you all cover a certain way in a certain style. Right. And there's a traditional form that you all adhere to that social media is not necessarily subject to. You know, I was just watching. Believe it or not, I do sometimes watch the clips. Craig, there was one clip that you described when the budget passed as the budget of city council,

20:33 when I did not get my corporate head tax. And then when, this was interesting, and then when the budget shortfall came to fruition, you referred to it as my budget. It's just little things like that that I believe that people on social media recognize, that there is a particular proclivity of coverage that may depict a light that may not be entirely balanced. And so there are folks who are paying attention to that. They bring it to my attention. And, you know, for those who recognize that, again, I promised to promote 200 detectives,

21:08 and we promoted 250. I promised to restore the Department of the Environment. We've done it. You know, I promised paid time off, abolishing the subminimum wage, fulfilled those promises. I promised that we would protect workers in this city. Every single group that sought a raise through their last set of negotiations, we gave them that raise. SEIU Health Care, $7 million in the budget to raise the wages of child care providers. That's never happened in the history of Chicago. And, again, I'm not dictating how folks should cover the news, but I will say that there is an ongoing effort.

21:45 and I even see your networks doing this, to use social media as a platform to help tell the full story. I've watched you struggle with your phone to kind of hold it up, and then you've got to commentate on your own. Like, you know, it's kind of fascinating to see kind of this new wave of social media and its influence on how people experience government. I'm watching the main networks try to do the same thing, and, you know, I'm just glad that at the age of 50, I don't have to try too many new things.

22:15 I just have to be prepared to have a house with one less child in it. I'll make the adjustment. It's inevitable. But thank you for that question. Mayor, hello. Yes. Are you counting on the Chicago Teachers Union endorsement again? You know, again, you know, my focus right now, I'm counting on the Chicago Teachers Union. I'm counting on SEIU Healthcare. I'm counting on SEIU 73. I'm counting on ASME. I'm counting on workers across this city to fight for more funding in Springfield for our schools.

22:48 That's what I'm counting on right now. Again, at some point, there'll be time to create more attention, you know, around February. But again, when I'm in the community, I promise you all, I'm not, you know, trying to be, you know, unnecessarily, you know, hard-lined here. It just doesn't come up. It doesn't. And so when we talk about the communities that don't have grocery stores, you know, I'm figuring out how we can ensure that families have access to quality and accessible and affordable food.

23:28 You know, so again, right now I'm counting on the people of Chicago to come together collectively to ensure that our schools are fully funded. I'm counting on Chicago to support a millionaire's tax. You know, I know there's great support of it in Springfield. We have to push people to do a little bit more, but right now I'm counting on all of labor, all of the residents of Chicago to demand that the ultra-rich in this state pay their fair share in taxes. But that didn't answer the question. Well, again, endorsement of what?

24:02 Again, I'm not focusing on that right now, so I have answered your question. Now, you may not like my response, but my response is I'm counting on the people of Chicago to fight for progressive revenue. That's what people want right now. Look, I don't think you all realize how hard it is for families to make the ends meet. I just don't. And because I've lived that experience, it's probably why I'm additionally sensitive to it. But I can tell you that the individuals who received pink slips, they're not thinking about February 23rd.

24:33 They're just not. So I don't think it's appropriate for me at this time to start thinking about February 23rd, when right now we have to think about the people who just received layoff notices, right? The fact that individuals could lose an entire week's worth of pay because the state of Illinois continues to force me to bail them out, right? And look, again, I'm able to skip and whistle at the same time. There will be plenty of time for that. But in the meantime, let's focus on the families that are in need right now.

25:04 That's what the people of Chicago have charged me to do, and that's where my focus is going to remain. Why do you think that SEIU will no longer endorse you? Again, there are no decisions that have been made about my candidacy because at this point I've been primarily focused on governing. And again, in terms of my track record with supporting labor, park district workers receive raises. CPS employees receive raises. City employees receive raises. Police officers, firefighters all receive raises.

25:37 Many people in Chicago will tell you that their top number one issue was community safety, especially in 2023, because in 2022, I believe there were over 800 people who lost their lives of gun violence. And whether you are, you know, a public sector worker or, you know, whether you are an entrepreneur, you want to start a business in Chicago, having safer communities is something that I promise to do. And the city of Chicago has a lot more work to do. I know what I inherited.

26:07 I know what I walked into. I walked into a crisis, a global population shift that the federal government, as well as the national, international space, had no answers for. We figured out how to, in a very humane way, get people off of floors in police districts across the city. Remember, when I was elected, there were people literally sleeping on floors. And I remember you all asking me those same questions. What are you going to do? Well, I fixed it. People said, are you going to be able to drive violence down in the city of Chicago? I said, yes, and we've done it. Well, are you really going to be able to hire that many young people because many of them don't want to work?

26:41 Well, over 32,000 of them will. Can you really reopen mental health clinics? Can you really do that, Mayor? I did it, three of them, right? The Department of the Environment, you're not going to be able to put together that infrastructure in a short period of time, but yet somehow we've done it. Right now, because we, you know, worked in partnership with Water Reclamation District, and thank you to President Kerry Still, and because the Department of the Environment has been restored, now we're creating brand-new infrastructure underground to mitigate what we are experiencing on a more regular basis,

27:13 100-year rain. And we did all that with a budget challenge that I inherited where many bodies of government are experiencing extreme deficit, whether it's the county, the state, government across this country. Folks say, can you really tax the rich? I did it. The first social media amusement responsibility tax of its kind. No other administration, no other body of government has been able to do that. And now those progressive revenue streams are overperforming what we initially projected. So because that work is working, it just makes sense for me to continue to focus on that work.

27:49 And at some point, we'll get to the politics when it's at the appropriate time. But I'm encouraging the people in Chicago, if you know anyone in Memphis, if you know anyone in Michigan, there are two incredible progressive dynamic leaders that are running in those respective primaries, and I hope that you would support them. Hi, Mayor. Hi. When you say the TIF dollars for Yellow Banana were for the physical structure of the stores and that you're still committed to a public market. Would you say that one of your visions might be to explore operators to run markets in those locations,

28:20 or are there sites you're already looking at that might be more appropriate? That's an appropriate question. I think we have to look at all of the above, right? The 13 million, 13.5 million that we put into the infrastructure for those particular sites, we at least know that those structures are ready to go. So, you know, but again. You know, community gets to help drive, you know, how we show up for families. You know, in the meantime, I would encourage families to call 211, their support and services that are available for them.

28:52 Thank you to Lyft and the partnership there to help, you know, our elderly receive access to food by being able to receive a ride. But we're going to continue to – I'm going to continue to explore all of our options and opportunities to ensure that we create as many healthy, accessible, affordable grocery across the city, almost like across the country. That would be very ambitious, wouldn't it? And SCIU and CTU have also endorsed a number of different candidates in the school board races,

29:24 which is a departure of how they have normally coalesced in past elections. Do you worry about this happening in 2027 and how that could affect the ground game and fundraising potential for the progressive candidate? No. No, no, I don't. Okay. How do you think that dynamic would change? You know, how progressive? Look, I'm running the city of Chicago. I'm not running labor. You know, I know you all are accustomed to, you know, to my time as an organizer in this city, you know, but, you know, those decisions are made by those particular bodies.

29:56 Here's what I can say, that, you know, the progressive cause in this city has gone through, you know, a significant transformation and change. We're talking about 40 years of not having a progressive leader on the fifth floor. And again, if you go back and look at all of the expectations that people had of me, and I welcome them. And I'm not saying that we were able to do everything, right? I don't believe anyone can do all

30:28 in three years, right, or four years. There are still some things to be desired, but, you know, to inherit a crisis while also addressing the darkness, quite frankly, that rested over our city for a long time. You know, when there's darkness and a cloud over the city, I believe Dr. Keene quoted philosopher that when there's darkness present, crime follows.

31:02 And so my responsibility in this moment is to help remove the darkness and to give real opportunity to working people. I'm a pro-worker mayor, and I'm proud of it. And again, this goes back to your colleague's question about how social media is having some impact on how people receive the news. I remember that some of you believe that me being a labor organizer, that that would be a liability.

31:34 That how would I be able to make balanced decisions based upon those past relationships? What I find ironic, though, is that we don't ask those same questions to billionaires. We don't. So a billionaire having access to capital, No one says, how do you remain neutral as a billionaire? How will you convince your friends to do right by the people? How do we know that you're not going to sell off the city to your billionaire's friends because you are a millionaire or billionaire?

32:08 And I never saw my experience as a working class individual in this city as some sort of liability. And, in fact, it's just the opposite. I've been able to effectively settle every single contract since I've been mayor, and we've done it in a fair and a just way. I still believe that there's more than enough for everyone. And my hope is that, you know, as we gear up for November elections, that the progressive movement that is breaking out across this country,

32:42 that, quite frankly, it received its motivation from my election in 2023. And, look, there is no perfect model for how do you govern as a progressive in the midst of decades of malfeasance and neglect. There's no model for it. And so we've had to, again, skip and whistle and walk and chew gum. There's been some hard lessons along the way.

33:13 But there's two quick things. You will know a tree by the fruit that it bears. and and the fruit that I that I that I bear is prioritizing working people in this city and I do recognize that my position and my commitment to justice and equity has created some frustration from individuals who want more or from individuals who think that I'm doing too much.

33:48 And there's a healthy balance, of course, that I have to provide in all of this. But I think it's too soon to prognosticate what the future will hold. What I can say is that building a safe and affordable city in America is the joy of my experience in this moment. And I'm grateful that we are on pace to build thousands of affordable homes. There are families that will be able to purchase a home because of down payment assistance up to $70,000.

34:20 That's life-changing for people. And I just want to focus on that a little bit longer. I promise you this is the last thing. I know I'm kind of on a soapbox. I'm just a little emotional today because my son is headed off tomorrow. I wish I could just hold on to him a little bit longer. And I think there are parents across this country who've experienced it or will experience it. You just want to hold on to something a little bit longer because you know that once you let go, it will forever change.

34:51 I just want to hold on to the city of Chicago a little bit longer just so that when the politics come, we would have fully embraced the moment that we're in. Think about it. There are fewer homicides than we've experienced in 60 years. I want to hold on to that. Unpaced to build more affordable homes. I just want to hold on to that a little bit longer because you all know, like once there's an absolute decision that's made, then, you know, it's Chicago. So the season changes dramatically and the season will change. It's inevitable.

35:23 But in the meantime, as much as I know, I'm going to have to let go of my son and give him the opportunity to grow and to become the God fearing man that that I've raised him to be. You know, at some point I'm going to have to let go and make a decision. But in the meantime, I have at least another 36 hours with my son. Now, I'm not saying that I have 36 hours before I make a decision, but if you just bear with me there, I want to hold on to this moment a little bit longer because Chicago deserves that. All right, Heather, you've been very patient. Hi, Mayor. Hi.

35:53 Last week, the inspector general released an audit saying that the city had followed its procurement procedures in taking care of the migrants who arrived here in 2022 through 2024 and that there were no cases of sort of improper spending or overspending. Do you hope that the people of Chicago sort of read that audit and give you credit for handling that crisis, or do you think it's too late for sort of the people of Chicago

36:24 to sort of reevaluate how they think the city of Chicago did during that time? Yeah. So I feel like you are tapping into the emotional sensitivity that I'm experiencing right now. Yes, I'm hopeful. I am. And I'm just going to name something that I know it's, you know, it's probably hard to, it's probably harder to hear it than it is for me to say it. And I understand the frustration that black people felt during that mission.

36:56 I do. I do. Here's what I understand. We don't ask for much. We don't. We just don't want our schools to close. We want opportunities, good-paying jobs. And so when people elected me, I made a commitment to respond to the most vulnerable.

37:29 And then I met with this crisis. It's no one's fault here in Chicago. And I think for black Chicago in particular, it kind of felt a way that government was able to turn on resource in a moment's notice, and our communities have been starved for decades. And I tried desperately to live in my values, even though it cost me politically.

38:02 It did. It did cost me. And there was misreporting, quite frankly, about what was being spent. There wasn't a healthy balance of how we got here. Remember, the state of Illinois was funding to put migrants in hotels, and they stopped doing it. It got to be too expensive. And then by the time the previous administration was transitioning out, without the state paying to house...

38:39 These individuals in hotels, they just started dropping them off at police stations. I mean, my God. And so when I was sworn in, my first day on the job was literally at a police district where I'm stepping over human beings because they're just laying on the floor. And then you had a political climate that used that crisis to create division within black communities, and they did it on purpose. And you know what hurts the most?

39:10 They were successful. Now, I saw it. I saw it for what it was worth. But for too many families, it's like, man, you know, we want a mayor that's going to focus, you know, his attention on our needs, which I did. I never stopped focusing, right, over $2 billion on the west side, $2.6 billion on the south side. But at the time, the only thing that was being covered was how much are you spending? What are you doing? It's almost as if nothing else was going on at that time. But if that's the only thing as a as a Chicagoan, especially as a black Chicagoan, if that's the only coverage that you are experiencing, then you would think that that's the only thing that I was doing.

39:48 It's not true. Right. Clearly, there's evidence that we've been doing some work outside of that that mission. Now, the final thing that I'll say is I don't regret it. I don't. It was the right thing to do. You know, there were there were no answers at the federal level. And I believe what what we knew then is what's manifesting now. Now, that extreme right wing ideology would force this crisis to cause doubt within blue cities, to suppress votes, to create a distraction, to move an agenda that, quite frankly, is harming our people.

40:33 Everything from defunding our public institutions, firing black women, increasing a budget for ICE, that the only two budgets that are larger than ICE, the United States military and China's military, taking away resources for violence prevention, all of that was orchestrated during that particular moment so that the Trump administration can have its way the way it's having its way right now.

41:06 I saw through it, though, and I made a commitment that it's not just about responding to the immediate crisis. Because here's the thing, if we're just being honest, had I not managed it, you know what folks would have reported? Mayor Johnson can't handle a crisis. That's what would have been reported. I guarantee you that. I remember, and this is nothing against Alice. I remember Alice asking me, you know, Mayor, you said that you were going to get folks out of those police districts before winter. And every day coming up to December 22nd, Alice kept asking me, when are you going to get it done, Mayor Johnson?

41:40 When are you going to get it done? When are you going to get it done? Whew, Alice, I was working hard. I was. I made a commitment to do it. But that was all that was being covered. And I made that commitment to do it. And you know what really motivated me to do it? I thought about Joseph and the Bible. and Joseph had a rough trajectory. He made some mistakes. He did. But God ultimately used him to not just respond to the world but also to reconcile with his siblings.

42:13 That's what I believe Chicago represents. We responded to the world while also reconciling with the very people who have been damaged by decades of disinvestment. So, yes, in short, I'm hopeful. That's the perspective that I bring, and I'm humbled that the work that I did has been validated. In the meantime, I'm going to continue to make my case to build the safest, most affordable big city in America. It's going to be a big tonal shift, and I apologize for that.

42:46 But you've named Fred Waller the interim superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. He is both being paid $210,000 a year while earning a taxpayer-funded pension of about $141,000, bringing his total compensation to almost $352,000. Why is that a good use of taxpayer money to pay somebody a salary who's already earning a taxpayer-funded pension? Well, I mean, first of all, I thank Superintendent Waller for his willingness to postpone his retirement yet again.

43:22 I mean, he has served this city. You know, the first interaction that I had with Superintendent Waller, he was the first graduating class when Mayor Harold Washington was elected, and he speaks of that with so much pride. I mean, he's dedicated his life to this city. He has children that serve on the police department. well, which is impressive because I am almost for certain that none of my children are going to do anything that I'm doing. Though Ethan is a smart kid, he's finishing up honors geometry, he has kind of toyed with the ideal of being a teacher, which he's very good at math, but

43:54 he said that if he did teach, he would consider teaching social studies. He might be living at home longer, which is probably what that means, unless they finally get a good contract to a better one. But the point being is that But, you know, Superintendent Waller has dedicated his life to this work, and, you know, him coming out of retirement, you know, something that the city is grateful for, the police department is grateful for, you know, in terms of its use of taxpayer dollars, you know, he's working within the parameters of what's permitted. You know, I will say this, though, as a superintendent, quite frankly, even with the way the configuration is set up now, he is certainly going to – that's a hard job.

44:37 It's a very difficult job, and, you know, I understand the question, and you don't have to apologize for the shift. As I said, his commitment to come out of retirement is something that I'm grateful for, And, you know, we're going to continue to utilize his leadership and expertise to continue to create safe and affordable communities. All right. Thank you all very much. Appreciate your time.

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