Chicago Politics

Press Availability 6.23.26

Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson hosts press availability.

Transcript

0:30 I want to acknowledge, of course, the tragic shootings that occurred in our city over the weekend. What should have been a time of celebration, reflection, and community during Juneteenth, it was disrupted by heartbreaking acts of gun violence. My thoughts and prayers remained with the victims, their loved ones, and all those who have been impacted by violence. I'm grateful to the Chicago Police Department, our firefighters, emergency medical personnel, OEMC, hospital staff, CVI workers, and all of the first responders who worked swiftly to protect the lives of those who were affected.

1:17 To support our communities, an emergency assistance center led by CPD will open tomorrow evening in Washington Heights, offering resources and services to victims, survivors, witnesses, family members, and of course community members impacted by the recent violence. Community violence intervention workers remain on the ground providing support, and the City's Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement Program, or CARE, remains available

1:48 to residents in need of mental health and trauma-informed services. Residents can also call 2-1-1 to be connected to additional support and resources. And even in moments of tragedy, we are reminded of the strength of our communities and the importance of showing up for one another. But we also know that our work cannot end once the headlines fade. Gun violence has afflicted communities across Chicago for far too long,

2:19 leaving behind grief, trauma, and empty seats at family tables in neighborhoods throughout our city. While cities across the country continue to face this challenge, we know that our communities deserve safety, opportunity, and the resources that are needed to thrive. Even as Trump's cuts and federal funding uncertainty threatens violence reduction efforts nationwide, my administration continues to strengthen investments in violence reduction,

2:50 youth opportunities, and community-based interventions that ultimately make neighborhoods safer. Part of our efforts also include supporting the call for a permanent department dedicated to gun violence reduction, ensuring these efforts remain coordinated, accountable, and sustained for the long term. Because building safer communities requires the full force of government and a commitment to addressing the root causes of violence. And one of the most important investments that we can make is in our young people.

3:25 Right now, more than 25,000 young people have started summer jobs through the Chicago Youth Works program. When we invest in our youth, we invest in safer communities, stronger neighborhoods, and a brighter future for Chicago. And that is why I also want to recognize that this week, Chicago Workers' Rights Week, we're celebrating it. We're celebrating the hardworking people who keep our city moving forward,

3:56 and they do it every single day. Whether you're working an overnight shift, serving customers, preparing meals, stocking shelves, or delivering goods across our city, your work matters. Every day, Chicagoans show up for one another. And through our work, and through your work, you help feed families, support neighbors, and you keep our communities running. You create opportunities for future generations. And that is the power of working people, and that is why we are proud to celebrate Chicago Workers' Rights Week.

4:32 But as we all know, Chicago, like communities across the country, continues to face an affordability crisis. Too many working families are spending too much of their time and energy simply trying to make the ends meet. The rising cost of housing, groceries, child care and other everyday necessities has made it harder for many of our residents to get ahead and even when they are working every single day. day and in some cases multiple jobs. Supporting working people is not just something we talk

5:05 about during Workers' Rights Week. It is a commitment that guides our work every day throughout the year. Two years ago, my administration established Chicago Workers' Rights Week to recognize the contributions of working people across the city and reaffirm our commitment into ensuring that every single Chicagoan has the opportunity to thrive. We also committed to raising standards for workers and making sure that our economy works for the people whose labor makes this city run.

5:36 And since taking office, our administration has increased Chicago's minimum wage each year, helping workers keep pace with rising costs and ensuring that more families can share in the city's prosperity. On July 1st, Chicago's minimum wage will increase to $17.05 per hour. That means more money in the pockets of working people and more support for families working hard to keep up with the rising costs. And it's also why we fought to give Chicago workers access to up to five days of paid leave and five days of paid sick leave.

6:11 No one should have to choose between earning a paycheck and caring for themselves or their loved ones. And no one should have to worry about losing income when they're struggling with their health. We know there is still more work to do. Working families are the foundation of our city, and they deserve fair pay, meaningful protections, and the opportunity to build a stable future for themselves and their loved ones. We will continue fighting for working people and building a stronger, safer, more affordable Chicago for everyone.

6:43 As we celebrate the hardworking Chicagoans who help build our city every single day, We must also remember those whose labor helped lay the foundation for the city that we do have today. Workers' Rights Week is an opportunity to honor the generations of workers and advocates who fought for dignity, fairness, and opportunity, often with odds stacked against them. It is in this context that we gather today to continue an important conversation about our history, our responsibility, and the work that's still ahead.

7:16 building on our commitment to protecting working people and advancing equity across our city I want to turn to another important part of this work two years ago I signed an executive order establishing a task force to shine a light on the harm that slavery and racist policies have caused and continue to cause and particularly the harm that they've caused to black Chicagoans while more importantly identifying pathways towards repair, opportunity, and investment.

7:49 Today marks the second day of Chicago's public reparations hearings. For the first time, Chicago was formally listening to and documenting the lived experiences of black Chicagoans while also acknowledging how policies like redlining, disinvestment, and segregation have shaped lives and communities across generations. The testimony shared here will help inform the city's reparation study of harm,

8:19 deepening our understanding of how those harms continue to be felt today, and what it will take to begin repairing. This work is about telling the truth, honoring the lived experiences, and building a more just Chicago for the future of our city. So thank you all again, and with that, I'm happy to answer all of your questions. For one question, one follow-up.

8:49 How are you doing, Mayor Johnson? I'm doing well. Thank you for asking. Talk a little bit more about what I think I just heard you say, which was your endorsement of a Department of Gun Violence Protection. How would that work? Who would be running that department? Would it be your Deputy Mayor for Community Safety? Talk more about that. Well, first of all, again, I want to acknowledge, again, the incredible harm and trauma that gun violence has promulgated, not just throughout the city of Chicago, but throughout our country,

9:19 it is incredibly disappointing and disheartening that the President of the United States of America has worked overtime to defund the very institutions that can keep people safe. From $800 million that he has taken away from violence prevention, $800 million that he placed in the pockets of big corporations and the ultra-rich at the expense of our overall safety. Again, reducing the ATF budget by 30 percent. The entity of government that we work with at the federal level to remove illegal weapons off the streets of Chicago.

9:54 And we know that there are at least 13 states across the country that has a violent, a. an office that is dedicated to reducing gun violence. The Biden administration established the first of its kind at the federal level. What I have said and what I will continue to say is that I think it's incumbent upon all of us to find ways in which we can work together to reduce violence as a whole, but gun violence particularly. I'm prepared to talk more about this particular call to action later this week,

10:28 But as you know, this particular advocacy group has been calling for such an office to exist through multiple administrations. And we're going to continue to hear how the work that we're doing to drive violence down can work in coordination with the vision that this organization and organizing apparatus has. So just to be clear, you're not against their suggestion? I'm saying that this has been an ongoing fight for this group for some time through multiple administrations.

11:00 And there is a precedent that's been established at the federal level, particularly, again, what the Biden-Harris administration did. So I'm going to continue to explore pathways in which the office that I created of community safety can work in conjunction with what this organizing apparatus is calling for. Great. Your deputy mayor for community safety, Emmanuel Andres. now on the job how would you say in the in the few weeks that he's been in that position how would you say the city's response to violence has improved uh with him leading that office over your

11:35 over his predecessor well i'm leading the efforts to to to build the safest most affordable big city in america um much like all of my deputy mayors um i'm i'm always in constant communication with them their job ultimately is to carry out my vision and what i am grateful for is that we have strong public servants that recognize their role in building the safest most affordable big city in america mayor johnson last week i sat in this very seat and i warned you that juneteenth is

12:13 historically one of the most violent days for whatever reason in the city of Chicago. You dismissed that. I asked you if Donald Trump, the President of the United States, if you would reach out to him for some kind of help or assistance. Again, you dismissed that. You said that you're the mayor, right? You said that Donald Trump was a massive failure or something to that effect. And now we have seen the results

12:44 40 plus people shot a dozen plus people murdered in the city of Chicago on Juneteenth the weekend with the Obama library and all the other wonderful things happening and the people of Chicago, the real people are asking me if you are aware, if you're even paying attention if you're the massive failure perhaps you're the massive failure in this equation and not the president who, by the way, has reached out again, again.

13:15 Well, thank you for your question. Donald Trump has said he's willing to help. Will you in the long last accept his support? I appreciate you taking some time. Let me ask the question. You have. You said that real people in Chicago. Will you accept his help now? Well, you asked two questions then. Your first question was, I just want to make sure that I'm repeating what you said. Okay. Your first question was centered around, and it's a very lousy attempt of what you're trying to conflate, But your first question was essentially around who takes responsibility, right? And then your second question is the help that's needed from the federal government.

13:47 So I'll answer both of them. And so, look, it's very clear that as it relates to community safety, that the President of the United States of America has done nothing to help secure safe communities across this country. He's done nothing to do that. In fact, if you look specifically at his so-called black agenda, he has not delivered on one promise. You can't say that you believe in creating safe communities and then literally undermine all of the efforts that create safer communities. That's why he's a failure. It's not just he's just a failure. He is a he's a doughty individual.

14:25 Right. And so because of that, to answer your first question, the responsibility, of course, is on all of us. Here's a responsibility that I continue to take. Driving a community safety plan that removes guns from the streets of Chicago, driving a community safety plan that actually invests in the communities that this president refuses to invest in, driving a community safety plan that ensures that our local police department has the tools that they need to ultimately hold people accountable.

15:00 is why we have seen positive trends. Now, of course, there's more work to be done. That work is not going to be accomplished through social media. The failure of this administration is that he is more interested in tweeting or posting evil and inhumane projections of people in our humanity than he is actually willing to put money into the very communities that he ostensibly offers some degree of care for. But the fact of the matter is this. There's no administration in this city that has contributed more to keeping people safe.

15:38 Is there more work to be done? Absolutely. Has this president undermined our work? He most certainly has. Again, this is an individual that is more interested in removing voting rights protections. He's more interested in calling for investigations or reducing the ability to investigate civil rights violations. It's not just simply about his abject failure. It's about his overwhelming interest in coordinating the upward transfer of wealth into the hands of the ultra-rich at the expense of everyday people.

16:20 that's what he has failed to do because well that's what he has done his failure of course is in defunding the very efforts that ultimately can keep people safe you've already asked two questions you've asked two questions you've called the police a sickness you say that incarcerating violent repeat offenders is some kind of you can talk as long as you want you've asked your two questions already and I've answered both of them. No, you've asked two questions. Well, you can just free your cell phone out of here

16:56 because I'm not answering anything else from you. You've already asked two questions and your time is done. So go ahead. Finish. Finish. The city of Chicago is down 2,000 police officers under your administration and yet you have 150 some police officers on your security detail. If Chicago is so safe, why not release some of those police officers back onto the streets where they can help real Chicagoans? You're done. Thank you. Jake? On the

17:28 new department, why do you think this is needed? Is there a capacity issue now in the Office of Community Safety? Or is this an effort to lock in anti-violence efforts that might not stick if you don't win this office again? Well, if you're asking me if my decisions are politically motivated, they're not. They're not. And look, I understand why people would believe that a politician would speak of their own interests. My interest is building the safest, most affordable big city in America.

18:00 In terms of our evolution of government, I think that is the nature of public service. The answers that I have can only be strengthened when other people are invited into the process to actually come up with solutions from a more collective response. Look, do I believe that we have done some incredible work through our collaborative efforts? Absolutely. Is that work complete? It's not.

18:34 And, you know, your office has made several efforts in the city council recently on VGTs. You know, I'm curious why you have been generally supportive of sweepstakes gambling machines. You know, those are already existent. They don't have much oversight. They're especially in black and Latino neighborhoods and pulling money out of them. Why not oppose those? Well, look, the concerns that we have raised around VGTs are legitimate, right? And having a hearing, which I believe is going to take place tomorrow, if I'm not mistaken, that's necessary. I mean, look, there is certain activity that I don't necessarily engage in.

19:07 You know, I don't I don't drink. Right. And I do know that through liquor tax, we actually generate revenue. You know, this idea that certain activity requires special judgment because of what it does. You know, I try not to walk in in in any level of condemnation. So just because there's something that I may not particularly engage in doesn't mean that my particular standard should be the utilizing force to determine whether or not a particular form of gambling or anything else should be permitted.

19:46 But you all have opposed VGTs and not opposed sweepstakes gambling. Well, because what I've said was there's some legitimate concerns there, right, particularly for workers, how would it impact a casino? All of those things have to be brought into consideration. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, it's been well documented that where VGTs have increased in other parts throughout the county, we've seen some serious concerns around safety. I think we should have those robust, comprehensive conversations to determine whether or not this particular form of gambling could lead to other error.

20:23 That's all this is. Thank you. Mayor, you've been supportive of— You really like your new job. I've never saw you wear a Fox polo. The fact that you're wearing an NBC polo, that's a good way to just say thank you to Fox News. It's my only clean shirt right now. You know, it's more out of necessity. But thank you. You've been supportive of the Bears, the stadium plan, South Soldier Field. What about South Works, the U.S. steel site, as Representative Tarver has proposed?

20:54 Well, look, first of all, I'm hopeful that, you know, representatives that voted to create a slide for the Bears to leave the city of Chicago. I hope they don't do that again. I believe we all should be pulling in the same direction, which, of course, is to keep the Bears in Chicago. Because, again, and thank you for your coverage in all seriousness, because it is the only plan that is on the table for a publicly owned stadium. and, you know, the nonsense around other areas, to me, it deserved the type of coverage that you have brought.

21:31 And I mean that with all sincerity. But if you look at the investments, of course, that I've made throughout the city of Chicago, it is clear that I am all in as it relates to not just keeping the bears in Chicago, but to growing the economic prowess of our city. $1.3 billion of investments on the west side of Chicago alone. Just through planning and development, $1.6 billion on the south side of Chicago. You mentioned the CyQuantum campus, essentially.

22:01 A brand new hospital, you know, on the southeast side of Chicago. It hasn't happened in over 100 years. And the $5 million that I use to leverage $500 million from the state of Illinois, Sounds like that's a pretty good economic approach, right? And so I think anything that we do to leverage to keep the Bears in the city of Chicago, you know, is something that's good for the entire state of Illinois. But, again, keep in mind the only site that the Bears expressed interest in in Chicago with the plan was at the lakefront.

22:34 So you're saying that's the only site. If the Bears were, say, to be interested in Southworks, is that a site that you could find? Well, they would certainly have to, you know, express that interest. I think the point that I'm making is whether it's the 1901 project, you know, whether it's, you know, again, the southeast side of Chicago using our economic tools to attract, you know, greater economic activity in our city, I'm going to continue to leverage what I have available to me to ensure that Chicago benefits,

23:05 but the entire state and the region does as well. Thank you. Good morning, Mr. Mayor. Good morning. I'm branded as well. Yes, okay, fine. Congratulations on your WGN swag. It has been through a lot of battles. Listen, if you all bring those to me, and if it's under $50, I don't have to put it in the gift closet. All right. Okay. I'll see what I can do. I have a hard time getting up, but I work there. So, Mr. Mayor, just so I'm crystal clear on this, quickly, this new department, it has your full support?

23:40 Well, again, I'm going to talk more about it later this week. What I am saying is that what this organizing apparatus has been calling for through multiple administrations, through the Emanuel administration, through the Lightfoot administration, they have obviously called for city council to take on this particular approach. What I am saying is the support of finding stronger ways to reduce gun violence in the city of Chicago, of course, I'm going to explore any of those opportunities.

24:16 But I also want to be very clear, the real effort is going to be centered around generating the revenue from big corporations and those with means to put more skill in the game so that we can fund all of the programs and services that have been proven to be effective. My follow-up may not be applicable now, but how do you envision this department working, and would it kind of repeat some of the same things that other departments are already doing?

24:48 No, look, I think that your follow-up is actually appropriate. This is why I'm taking a deeper look into what's being proposed, and I'm, again, prepared to talk more about it. A little bit later this week, what I can say is that our efforts have demonstrated our commitment to reducing gun violence. What we have discovered, and this is not necessarily breaking news to anyone here, is that there are multiple departments that do work,

25:21 and whether it's in community safety or senior services that are distributed throughout the entire enterprise. Same thing with the Department of the Environment and why we restored it, right? And so there could be opportunities for us to find ways in which we can better streamline activity. There could be better ways in which we coordinate stronger with county and state. Again, as I've said, I bring answers to help drive solutions.

25:52 There are others that have them as well, and I think it's incumbent upon me as the mayor of this city is to hear what these advocates are calling for and finding ways in which the work that we're doing can not just be aligned but strengthened so that we can ultimately build safe and affordable communities. Thank you. No, that's a great question. Thank you. Good morning. Good morning. I'm not branded because Channel 7 is too cheap to give us polos, but anyway. Whoa, did she just take a shot?

26:22 Anywho, that's another story. Back to this whole thing. I know you're going to talk about it later in the week, but what would be the difference between the Office of Community Safety and a Department of Gun Violence Prevention? Yeah, look, again, that's a legitimate question. What I'm going to do is look at some of the specific elements. It's not just about the office. There are specific tasks that, you know, this organizing operation is calling for. There could be some tasks that we are implementing, but it could be a better way to streamline it, right?

27:01 And so I don't want us to get necessarily hung up on the name or the classification of this office that I'm more interested in what work needs to continue or happen in a way that perhaps is not showing up for advocates to ensure that all of us are working collectively together to drive violence down in the city, and particularly gun violence. And also, when gun violence was down last year, you attributed that to your efforts in terms of investments in the community as well as violence intervention programs.

27:35 So now gun violence is up, and we still have investments in the community and gun violence intervention programs. So what is not working right now? Well, I mean, look, I also attribute it to more detectives and having a stronger clearance rate. It wasn't just about those investments. They play a major part in how we drive violence down. I think another way to sort of capture what's happening is if you just look at what happened in 2022 and prior,

28:10 you had almost 800. We've reduced that in half. So there's clear evidence, right, that we're not at 900, we're not at 800. We literally cut gun violence down by at least a half. That's a heavy lift. If you think about the time frame in which we've accomplished that. And one life loss is one too many. But I think we have to look at it this way. We're talking about decades of disinvestment. Those investments don't just go away after one year.

28:44 In fact, it would be really irresponsible to suggest that somehow if you do something for one year, that then that just lets you off the hook for the remaining parts of our city's life. And so because we've had historic disinvestment, because we've had negligence over the course of decades, our trajectory, though it's moving in the right direction, I think it's incumbent upon all of us to continue to look at the work that's working.

29:18 and areas where that need is still quite severe, how much more can we do in those communities? Because right now, though we are working towards an equitable distribution of resources, there are some pockets of the city, if you talk about the west side, for instance, that have a greater need. I was talking with Alderman Taylor yesterday. She had the most school closings than any other ward in Chicago.

29:48 Right. I believe that she still has six abandoned schools. Right. And then the report that came out that said that violence, of course, is more pervasive in areas where there are school closings. So. So are there ways in which my administration, working with the business community, working with the state, working with the county, working with CVI and the full force of government, can look even more strategically around areas and pockets of the city where you've seen the uptick? Because keep in mind, it's not up everywhere.

30:21 Some of the communities in which it went down, it stayed down. There are some pockets where, again, it could be centered around where schools have been closed, again, where communities where unemployment is higher. It's a matter of us digesting all of the, I guess, the harm that has been caused and then being intentional about adding support and resources to areas where there is a greater need. But I don't want people to think that violence or gun violence is up across the board. There are some very specific, hyper-concentrated communities where it's taken place.

30:52 And trust and believe I'm laser-focused in those particular areas. Thank you, Sarah. Interesting enough, actually, now that I think about it, I do have an ABC hat. I do. Seriously, can you ask someone to bring it? It's in that other room. Sarah, have somebody bring it, then we can give it to Sarah. I can gift it back. Good morning. Good morning, Mark. Well, I left my branding at home, but I can give you one of our Deep South Press Corps pens.

31:25 Okay. To add to the gift box. Thank you. Also, being a student of language, even before I got into examining public characters and measures, I have to point out to you, as I pointed out to your press team, communications team, that I think you mean that the president is dough-brained or dough-minded because dough-dy can mean anything depending on the spelling from savvy and results. The spelling that I'm using is unintelligent.

31:58 Okay. Well, that's not the way it plays out. But anyway, it can range anywhere from results driven and savvy to as feeble-minded as unclear or from bewitched. that's the one I'm referring to I thought you were getting at he was dangerously minded which the Doe Blaine suggests in any case so our cauldron of sources say that you attempted a few months ago to organize a fundraising

32:30 event with FBA reparations leader Tariq Nasheed in Los Angeles but that you all had to cancel because he was all booked up for events so what is the value that Southern California campaigning to your election cause when you sorely need votes in Northern Illinois, especially Chicago? Well, first of all, there are people all over the country that have taken an interest in my leadership in Chicago. When we talk about protecting Chicago, the executive orders that we pioneered here in Chicago,

33:02 other places like Los Angeles and New York have used that model to implement policies that ultimately provide protection for their particular residents. As mayors, we share ideas constantly. I was just on a conversation with Mayor Roz Baraka, who's been a mentor of mine for some time. Many people don't know the history of Roz Baraka, but he was a public school teacher and assistant principal, and he worked for, he was a deputy mayor at the same time. And so we constantly utilize each other's expertise and experiences.

33:36 Mayor Bass has held fundraisers in Chicago, so has Roz Baraka. People come from all over the country to raise money here in Chicago and again it's not unprecedented but there are people that see my leadership as a model for the rest of the country and they have expressed interest and they want to support it. I see. And speaking of re-election, our same cauldron of sources also say that your mission next year is to muster at least 36% of the vote to make the mayoral runoff. So what is your response to that as they also maintain that Larry Snelling's departure as police superintendent is a done deal?

34:13 Well, it seems like this cauldron has just a lot of different information that they are trying to ascertain what's true. What I can say is this, politics will handle itself. Right now, I'm not focused on politics. I'm focused on building the safest, most affordable big city in America. and that's what the people of Chicago deserve that undivided tension it doesn't mean that we can't campaign and govern you see people do that all the time what I'm saying is that the city of Chicago

34:44 deserves just a reprieve in this moment they need to know well what you've already spoken for the cauldron I'm trying to respond what I'm getting at is that I know there's lot of speculation and energy around this upcoming election cycle. I don't want us to neglect the fact that in November we need to win. In November we need to secure representation that reflects the values of working people. This could put us in a position where we swear

35:19 in the first black Speaker of the House in the history of our country. It's about making sure that Julianna Stratton becomes the representation of the state of Illinois and there are other elections here locally that I think people should pay attention to we're having the first of its kind in the city of Chicago a school board race that's never happened I'm the first mayor in the history of Chicago to embrace a fully elected representative school board at a time in which of course our state dramatically owes the city of Chicago nearly two billion dollars based upon

35:54 a law that they passed in 2020 they passed in 2017 that the bill is due next year and they're $2 billion short not to mention over $3 billion short for the entire state of Illinois and so that's why I'm giving a more of a lengthier answer here that I get why people want to focus on politics but I don't want that to be a distraction of governance and the work and at some point we'll have a substantive conversation around you know my future but in the meantime I'm focused on the future of the people of this city Thank you all very much.

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