Chicago Politics

48th Ward Day 6.26.25

Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson attends the 48th Ward Day in the Ward Press Conference.

Transcript

0:01 Let's go ahead and get started. Good morning, everybody. It's still morning. My name is Ugo O'Kere, U-G-O, first name, last name, O-K-E-R-E, Director of External Affairs in the Mayor's Office. I'll be taking us through the program for today. I want to thank Alderwoman Lenny Minah Hoppenworth and the 48th Ward for having us today. So let's go ahead and get this show On the road, our first speaker is Mr. Negus Solomon of Mella Cafe.

0:34 Mr. Solomon. Hello, everyone. My name is Negus Solomon from Mella Cafe on Broadway Street. I'm very happy that we opened this business in this neighborhood, in our neighborhood. And we're so glad our mayor showed up to support us. This is the kind of leadership we need. And it's very good. And thank you for the Alderwoman Lenny for inviting us.

1:07 And thank you very much. Next up, we will have Mr. Daniel Barat from Aura on the Lake. Thank you. My name is Daniel representing Aura on the Lake today. I'm greatly appreciative of Alderwoman Lenny and Mayor Johnson for visiting us today. We had a very productive conversation about public safety on the beach

1:37 and overall efforts to improve things in the ward. So we're super grateful for everything. Thank you so much to the both of you. Next up, we have Shannon Lynn. Hello. Good morning, everybody. My name is Shannon spelled C-H-A-N-N-Y-N. Middle name is Lynn L-Y-N-N-E. Last name is Parker, P-A-R-K-E-R. Thank you all so much for being here.

2:09 To the mayor, thank you so much for being here to support us with this really productive conversation centering LGBTQ lives. Our mayor is a champion, not just for Pride Month, but all year long. So I want to reiterate that. And again, thank you so much for your proven solidarity. And yeah, thank you all for being here. CEO of Brave Space Alliance, interim CEO of Equality Illinois. Again, thank you all so much. Next up, we'll have Iggy Landon. Iggy.

2:45 Hi, everyone. Iggy Ladon, I-G-G-Y. Last name Ladon, L-A-D-D-E-N. I use they, them pronouns. I'm the executive director of Chicago Therapy Collective, an LGBTQ affirming therapist myself. And I just want to say LGBTQ youth and their families are scared right now. Trans people are concerned. Resources are being cut. We already, for the last few years, 50% of trans youth that are looking for a therapist cannot find a therapist.

3:16 That's not even an affirming therapist. And we are now seeing a time where the administration, the Trump administration, is cutting the Trevor Project's suicide hotline. We're really scared. We're concerned about our resources. And we thank the mayor for your, as Shannon said, ongoing solidarity and support. But we also need to talk about how are we going to protect our resources and investments for the LGBTQ community at a time when we're talking budget cuts.

3:47 This was a very productive conversation today, and I think what stood out the most is that we have some work to do as a Chicago to make sure that we're protecting these resources and we fight for these resources. So thank you so much for having me. Thank you for coming to the 48th Ward, learning about our businesses, our LGBTQ org work, and, yeah, I hope everybody enjoys the rest of Pride Month. Thank you. And next we will have the great altar person of the 48th Ward, Alderman Lenny Minah Hoppenworth.

4:23 Hi, everyone. Happy Pride Month. Thank you so much for being here in the 48th Ward, Edgewater and Uptown. And thank you to the great community leaders that are behind me. As Iggy once said, we are under attack right now, our community. As the first out and proud representative of the 48th Ward, I'm here to say that we are going to continue to fight for our community, fight for my family, fight for everyone we love in this neighborhood, in all of our neighborhoods.

4:57 And I'm glad that we have a chance. champion on the fifth floor that will help us achieve those goals. Housing, health care, mental health support, safety, all of those things will bring safety to our communities. I'm also proud to stand here as a small business owner who is deeply rooted in our community because of partners such as the Chamber of Commerce here in Andersonville who've helped me grow my business here so that my family could stay. And so thank you to the small businesses here, of which we have a very diverse representation of immigrant and refugee and LGBTQ plus owned businesses and representation matters.

5:41 So thank you again for being here. Thank you again for being allies. And right now I would like to introduce our champion on the fifth floor. This is his first time here doing a day in the ward on the north side. So we're very proud to have him here in the queerest ward in Chicago. Thank you, Mayor Johnson. Well, thank you, Alder Manahop and Worth. And good morning and happy pride to everyone here.

6:14 Good morning and happy pride to everyone who's here. There we go. Today, as we, you know, come together as not just a ward but as a community, It gives me tremendous hope and pride that our communities are still strong and vibrant, even in the midst of an incredible test. Last week, you know, we had a chance to, you know, kick off a lot of activity.

6:46 But I'm really looking forward to how we're going to culminate the celebration of Pride Month with an incredible safe parade this weekend. I'm thrilled to join Alder, Manal, Hoppenworth, and all the business leaders here, the Chambers, and Edgewater, Uptown, and Andersonville, to ensure that our small businesses are fully supported. But I'm also grateful, though, that we are having important conversations around the LGBTQ plus community. Today, I have the privilege of visiting Mela Cafe for breakfast,

7:21 as well as, again, some of the local chamber leaders. And let me just say, everything on the menu is worth ordering. Yeah, for real. Everything. We really had an opportunity to discuss economic growth in the 48th Ward in our discussions. And we had a chance to go to Hollywood Beach to discuss tourism that the Chicago's LGBTQ plus community draw to Chicago.

7:53 It's really a major part of our economic aspirations. It's the soul of Chicago. When people from around the world understand that the city of Chicago is a place where people can find refuge. You know, we had this conversation here at the Children's First Bookstore discussing the ongoing fight for LGBTQ plus rights. Even when we're under attack, it doesn't deter us from fighting our collective and lifting our collective voices to ensure that we never back down.

8:29 And to know that this has been a pillar in the community as feminist advocacy as well for 40 years, let's just give a special shout out. She didn't want to speak, but Lynn Mooney has done 40 years worth of organizing right here in Chicago. But with all that being said, though we are a place for inclusivity and safety and celebration, we will continue to maintain our status of working with all of our communities.

9:03 But there are ways in which we can do better. While the federal government and other cities roll back rights for the LGBTQ plus community, I'm proud that the city of Chicago is investing in serving ours. The city invested over $25 million to businesses in the 48th Ward, over $25 million in the 48th Ward, and $30 million in infrastructure projects just in these neighborhoods as a way to demonstrate our commitment to the 48th Ward.

9:33 And these investments are meaningful for fueling our economy and revitalizing our neighborhoods. It is a part of my administration's larger strategy to build the safest, most affordable big city in America. These investments are also a testament to Chicago's commitment to serving and protecting our local LGBTQ plus community. And at the pride parades this weekend and every day moving forward as a city, we must proudly declare that. here in Chicago, so that people can hear it, feel it, and see it.

10:04 My administration will continue to celebrate pride with action, with investments that ensure that everyone can work, live, and thrive in our great city. So thank you to the 48th Ward for welcoming me today. And let me just say, the way they treat me in the 48th Ward, I'm just going to spend a little bit more time here to ensure that my health continues to grow because let me just say the berries smoothie at Malay Cafe, like order as many of those as possible.

10:36 Thank you all. God bless you. Happy Pride Month. And with that, we'll take questions. Yeah, so, you know, large scale events, we do exceptionally well in the city of Chicago, working with our community partners, the organizers, you know, as well as our police superintendent,

11:06 you know, feel good about the safety plan that we have in place. This is also a call to action to all of the individuals who will be participating in the Pride Parade. Let's show up for one another. We saw just a couple of weeks ago a protest in Chicago. Thousands of people from around the city and around the country came to Chicago on No Keens Day, and it ended with one arrest. So, you know, I feel good about what's up, yo, how you doing? It's a testament to our commitment to ensuring safety for folks.

11:41 But it's going to take all of us to make sure that we continue to see violent crime go down in the city of Chicago. Homicides are down 30%. Homicides, again, are down 30%. Shooting, shooting victims are down 38%, 42%. Robberies are down. We're going to continue to roll up our sleeves to ensure that the people of Chicago are experiencing maximum safety.

12:13 You know, so, you know, one of the things that, you know, I think it's clearly that's happening in Chicago is that there is the restoration of the vibrancy of our city. You may have seen that, I believe it was last Sunday, we had the highest amount of folks coming through O'Hare Airport ever, right? There was a report just last week, I believe, that the city of Chicago is the number one destination for the 4th of July anywhere in the world.

12:45 Chicago is demonstrating that it is in well care when a progressive is leading. Progressive voices across this country are rising up, and the city of Chicago is leading the way. And with the density within, you know, communities like where we are today, it allows for more activity to take place. It allows for economic vibrancy to growth. And it actually speaks to public safety. The more vibrant and the more people that are around, the less likely it is for people to cut up.

13:20 So, you know, it's a clear testament to the leadership in the 48th Ward, the chambers of commerce that are working together, my administration to ensure that we continue to show up with resources to build maximum impact for our economy. Well, it's why we're building more affordable homes. Look, economic development cannot come at the expense of everyday working people. One of the things that we're very proud of, particularly with the leadership of the 48th

13:52 Ward, Alder Mana Hoppenworth, is that we passed Green Social Housing, another commitment and promise that I made that allows for affordability to be maintained. Look, it's going to be an ongoing collective effort, but it is clear that we are building the safest, most affordable big city in America. Thank you all very much. Happy Pride, everybody.

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