Chicago Politics

Press Availability 5.27.26

Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson hosts press availability.

Transcript

7:24 I thank you all for joining us today. I want to take a moment to express, first of all, my profound gratitude to the women and men of the Chicago Police Department, our community violence intervention partners, faith leaders, youth organizations, and everyone who worked throughout Memorial Day weekend to help keep our neighborhoods safe. I'm especially thankful to the officers who responded diligently throughout the weekend to help keep all of our people safe.

7:54 Five officers were injured during that time, and I am deeply relieved that they are in fair condition. We are grateful for their service, and we wish them, of course, a speedy and a full recovery. As has been reported, the city of Chicago experienced zero homicides over the holiday weekend. It's the first time in over a decade. We also saw a slight decrease in the number of shooting incidents when compared to last year and the Chicago Police Department successfully removed 137 weapons from our streets.

8:33 While this data represents meaningful progress, communities across our city still felt the impact of an intolerable level of violence. Any incident of violence leaves in its wake lasting harm, trauma, and destabilizing conditions which weigh on too many families in our city. We cannot and we will not downplay or ignore that reality.

9:03 Our work is not done until every resident in our neighborhoods truly feels safe, connected, and fully supported. We are continuing to lead with what the data shows, particularly the data that shows that it's proven that it works. Investing in people, strengthening communities, improving response times, and giving officers tools that are effective. Not wasting taxpayer dollars on technology that over-polices black and brown communities without improving safety.

9:36 New analysis from the University of Chicago Justice Project found that after the city ended the ShotSpotter program in several south and west side neighborhoods, Chicago police responded four times faster to the city's most serious 911 calls. The same analysis found violent crime and homicides continue to decline. in those neighborhoods, with no evidence that ending the program increased violence or slowed emergency response. As we use every tool available to us to fight to end gun violence,

10:13 we have to also continue to work to mobilize our city and community resources to prevent and mitigate the impacts of large unauthorized teen gatherings. Throughout the weekend, Again, the city partnered with community organizations, violence intervention groups, faith leaders, and residents to organize positive activities for young people across Chicago. From cookouts, peace walks, to basketball tournaments, block parties, all across the city, southwest, north, everywhere in the city, these activities took place.

10:50 We must continue to make critical investments that help build healthy, whole, and safe communities throughout Chicago. We know that when we step up for our young people, we can make real progress. And we are continuing to push our city forward by keeping our young people and families at the center of our work. At the same time, accountability certainly matters. We will not accept any act that places Chicagoans in danger. We continue to call on parents, guardians, and all of the adults of this city to stay aware of where their children are and to help ensure that they are safe and accounted for.

11:31 We must strengthen the interventions that we know work, direct parent engagement, trusted community outreach, youth programming, violence prevention coordination, and proactive neighborhood-based responses. Last month, in Hyde Park, parents, neighborhood leaders, and community partners stepped up and stepped in early to interrupt a similar trend before it escalated.

12:02 And that kind of community leadership offers an important example of prevention in action. Ahead of the weekend, we closely monitored and responded to credible reports of teen gatherings in anticipation of the holiday and warming temperatures. As we gear up for the months ahead, I want to encourage eligible young people across Chicago to apply for our Chicago Youth Works before applications close on this Friday. Seek out community-serving opportunities within your neighborhood and to think about attending one of our youth activations.

12:38 We know that these investments yield results. In fact, the awareness and the areas where the city hired the most young people last year also saw some of the greatest declines in shootings and homicides. These opportunities are about more than a paycheck. They help connect young people to mentors, career pathways, safe environments, and a sense of purpose and belonging. When we invest in our young people and their future success, we lay the building blocks of safer communities today.

13:12 By coming together, we can prove to everyone and we can prove to all of our young people that they are valued, that they matter, and that we believe in them. We must keep in mind that in large respect, young people today have come up in a world that is much different than when we were younger. So we too are experiencing many of the same things for the very same time as we navigate this changing landscape together.

13:47 Teen gatherings are not unique to Chicago as we all know. Cities across the country and the world are navigating these same challenges. In fact, in Chicago, we've worked to respond as teens have come up in from surrounding suburbs. In fact, we've seen young people from outside of the city come to our city and further underscoring the need for shared responsibility across communities. At the same time, our response must reflect our values as a city.

14:20 Young people deserve safety, structure, opportunity and places to gather We must also recognize that social media is increasingly driving these gatherings Which means the city, parents and adults, mentors, coaches, community leaders, schools, organizations All of us have a role to play in preventing these situations from escalating We know that simply imposing harsher penalties or pushing young people further away from their support network does not solve the problem.

14:53 In many cases, it only deepens disconnection and isolation. We especially reject the dangerous notion that our black and brown youth are problems to be managed instead of young people to be invested in, guided and supported. We cannot rely on endless cycles of arrest and incarceration when our challenges are rooted in the lack of resources and limited opportunity. When young people lack safe spaces, positive influences, creative outlets, fully funded schools, and supportive communities, we all have a responsibility to step up and do more.

15:32 Because our youth deserve better, they deserve opportunity and support. And as I reflect on my upcoming time that I'll get a chance to spend with the Pope, I think about our shared moral values and our shared belief in human dignity. because at the end of the day, building a safer city also means building a more just and compassionate one where every young person, every family, and every community knows they are seen, supported, and worthy of opportunity. With that, thank you all. I'm happy to answer any of your questions.

16:14 Morning, Mayor. Good morning. Given your remarks on the new ShotSpotter analysis this morning, Will you direct the Department of Procurement Services to stop work on efforts to ink a new contract with a new gunshot detection system? Well, what my focus has always been is finding tools that strengthen my effort to be able to take this most affordable big city in America.

16:44 I've never been opposed to technology. I've only been opposed to technology that has proven to be ineffective. and thank you for the covering of that story and the work of the University of Chicago to highlight the fear-mongering and the cast of doubt on our decision to move away from an ineffective, can you all hear me? Okay, how was that? Yep. As those who were obviously promoting fear and casting doubt on our effort

17:21 to improve safety, this is clear evidence that we are clearly moving in the right direction. There is a new proposal to essentially impose penalties on parents whose teens participate in large gatherings. It's not precisely clear what that would look like, but do you think that punitive action needs to be taken against the parents who, who, even though you have urged them to know where their teens are,

17:53 simply don't or won't engage in that kind of oversight? Well, I believe it's parents, it's all adults, that we all have to lean in in this moment to make sure that our young people are accounted for. I can speak very candidly, not just as a father but as a public school teacher, the calming effect that adults have on young people by our mere presence is invaluable. In fact, you know, look, I've worked with challenging families who have had challenges throughout my entire professional career.

18:29 And the best approach is providing them with the tools and the resources that they need in order to have, you know, vibrant and quality lives. What we have seen, though, in other places, these aggressive tactics have not necessarily deterred these gatherings from taking place. In fact, in too many instances, they ultimately exacerbate the situation. So I believe it's important that we look at ways in which we can provide support. Of course, accountability is important, and it can't just be a one-sided approach.

19:04 It has to be a comprehensive response, and that's what my administration is leaning into right now. Mayor, if I could, my colleague is actually in the 11 o'clock news in a few minutes. Oh, okay. Do you want to ask the question? Oh, sure. Sure, that's fine. Okay, I understand. You know, honestly, the question that you just asked, okay, all this sharing around here. All good, all good. Very good. All right. It's not like the same state. Yeah, of course.

19:35 So, Mayor, can I talk to you about what are the qualities you are looking for in a new health commissioner, and how much did giving back those millions of federal dollars play a role in the decision to ask her to leave? Well, you know, look, I don't discuss personnel issues publicly. What I will say is at the time in which Dr. Ige was here, we were dealing with a global environment International crisis where global population shift all over the world and there was a real threat for for measles and the outbreak of measles and the work that she did and what the department did to help mitigate the spread of what could have been, you know, a real disaster.

20:17 you know that work um i'm grateful for uh you know i believe moving forward you know it's always necessary to have someone in leadership position that continues to demonstrate their compassion to have strong conviction towards public um health um you know in a couple of weeks we'll make some more announcements about some of the progress that we've made uh but again i'm always looking for people that share the values that i that i have and that's making sure that we have safe and affordable communities but that money did that play a role my question well look as i

20:50 said i don't discuss personnel decisions i think everybody here knows that what i will say though is the work that she did while she was here we're grateful for it and you know well the work doesn't stop right and as you continue to see how my administration is showing up every day for working people expanding the care program uh the first mayor since mayor here in washington to invest in publicly funded mental health of facilities that work is going to continue can you walk us through one more time i know you've been asked this but just to clarify uh

21:21 when the bears reached back to the city in the last few weeks was that a discussion only of the soldier field lease it was a discussion about how our terms uh could create a pathway for for a new Bear Stadium. Look, that lease is, I think it's until 2031, I believe, so there is nothing really there to discuss. In fact, I'm glad you mentioned that, and I'm happy to clarify this one more time.

21:54 There's only one city right now in which the Bears have been negotiating with around terms, right, because there is no plan for Arlington Knights. We don't know the real conditions of Hammond, Indiana. And in fact, as the discussion continues in Springfield, I think it's imperative that whatever we do to spark development, it can't be at the expense of taxpayers. There's only one plan that has ever been discussed around how a bear stadium that would be publicly owned that the bears and visitors would pay for.

22:31 There's no plan that compares to that proposal. So, again, I don't really can't predict what could happen in the weed hours of the morning in Springfield. But what I can say is that there's only one city in which the Bears have actively worked to establish terms, agreements for a pathway for a Dome Stadium in Chicago. I'm also going to yield to my comment.

23:02 So you're leaving for Italy later today, correct? That is correct. So what's on your agenda? What do you hope to discuss with the Pope? I know you're going to bring a special gift as well. Yeah, well, I mean, first, I'm going to thank him for his courage and his strength, particularly his moral stance, his moral stance around these endless wars, You know, his stances around protecting workers, his clarity around the dreadful and the most barbaric form of slavery and offering up that apology and recognition.

23:54 and the role that slavery has played in the harm that has been caused for generations. You know, I'm going to talk about how the pulpit and the pen have to come together to deliver justice for our most vulnerable as voting rights continue to be eroded by our government and as we continue to see economic disparity between those who have and those who are without.

24:29 we're going to need his pulpit and I'm going to use my pen and that combination I believe is the right combination to bring justice for the most vulnerable of course he's going to get a plethora of gifts, I would be curious to see how his gift closet compares to mine that was meant to be funny but he's definitely going to have a Cubs hat, he'll have a Cubs hat, he'll have a Cubs Jersey if I

25:00 I can find these Cubs socks. I'm going to bring those. But, you know, the real gift, I think, is going to be just him knowing that Chicago is incredibly proud and that we love him. What about Jardin? I heard about that. Yeah, it's going to be there as well. That's the one thing that we do share in common. You know, he really likes spicy. I like spicy. Maybe that's why we're a good combination. Thank you. You're welcome. And the Cubs could use a prayer right now. Oh, my gosh. rosary uh good morning um good morning as you know the chicago teachers union uh voted down

25:35 a dues increase um how do you think that will affect your ability to raise money for re-election i don't i don't i don't run unions i run the city of chicago so i don't opine on any decision that any labor union decides of what they're going to do with their work and file are you concerned about that? I mean, given the fact that they were hoping to raise $8.5 million for school board races, possibly your re-election, and that was turned down?

26:05 I mean, it's, I mean, it's, yeah, I mean, what is that going to do for your ability to fundraise for a re-election? Well, we're not talking about re-election right now. I know you all are eager to talk about that. I think it's important that we talk about how we continue to build safe and affordable communities. That's what my responsibility is as mayor. That's what my focus has been in fact since i've been mayor and since i've been laser focused on building the safest most affordable big city in america you know today's reporting was another example that is much fear and consternation that was placed out there about my decision

26:36 to move away from shot spotter it proves yet again that our policies are effective that's what my focus is going to be on and that's where i'm going to remain inter just the second topic Are you willing at all to move, I know that you have not been, but on the curfew? I know that some aldermen, there's been growing support in City Hall to finally do something, give the police some more tools to curb these team gatherings. Will you at all move on the curfew issue?

27:07 Well, we already have a curfew. It's 10 p.m., and the police department has the full authority to implement that. That if there are circumstances of large gatherings or teen gatherings, the way we've seen over the last couple of days, the police department, under the direction of the superintendent, has the ability to call for a dispersal order. That is well within their rights. What we have seen, though, in other cities, they have moved in these more aggressive ways to try to, you know, mitigate or curb these teen trends from taking place.

27:45 And what we've seen is that it has proven to be ineffective, right? And so, look, this is somewhat more complex than just sort of the up and down around what time a curfew should be implemented. I believe that what's important here is that there are accountability mechanisms and tools that are in place. So, for instance, there were 15 arrests on Sunday. It did not stop the trend from happening on Monday, right?

28:18 And so that's why the repeated call for all of us as adults from community organizations, faith leaders, policing alone is not an effective strategy. That's already been proven over and over again. We cannot rely on policing alone to change the hearts and minds of individuals. And so that's why, again, parents, adults, all of us have to know exactly where our children are and create as many opportunities as we possibly can for them. If I can just follow up on that.

28:48 Obviously, you mentioned accountability. Yeah. And maybe I missed it correctly if I'm wrong, but you're talking about parents and other adults needing to be accountable. um what is your message to these kids we're not hearing you say knock it off um i believe i've said that repeatedly and i said that these this behavior is dangerous and reckless i think we had this conversation last time where you obviously missed uh what i said to young people and and and what we also say to young people is not just this is unsafe and it's

29:23 reckless i'll take it i'll i'll add something to what i've already said that if you are a young person and you find yourself at a gathering and i'll just be very you know very direct here i had this conversation with father flagger yesterday if you're a young person you find yourself at a gathering and perhaps your intentions aren't bad you just want to go to the beach and hang out. As you begin to see the crowd grow, I think young people have the ability to discern

29:56 when there are individuals there that are coming to be disruptive. Go home. Go and find, you know, a safer space. And I think that there is, you know, a real opportunity for us to continue to build these safe spaces, of which I believe we have over 15 activations that are being planned by young people. In fact, I talk to young people on a regular basis. They're the ones that are helping us come up with some of

30:27 these activations because they know what their peers want to do right and so you know if you're looking for me to lecture I mean I'm going to refrain from that because I don't know if that's effective either I believe it's it's all-encompassing it's adults it's policing it's our young people all of us play a part in keeping our community safe because let's just be honest this is a drag on the positive impact that my administration has had in building safer and

31:02 more affordable communities. We just reported that we had zero homicides over the Memorial Day weekend and that shootings are down and where we are hiring young people you see a greater decline in in violence. Craig hear me hear my heart that is communicating with young people right it's not just about telling them what they cannot do right you've raised a family all of many of you have raise a family it's about what they can do right so it's both and we tell young people that this is not the the the um most um safest um uh way in which we can gather but we also say

31:39 you have until friday to apply for for for a job is there is there a an issue with different messages that may be coming from your office and from superintendent snelling who's saying that kids need to be held accountable um for this kind of yeah that's that's why they some of them were arrested right so that's accountability if they're acting outside of the confines of the law which i've said multiple times that they should be held accountable and that happened and what i also said was if you look at in other cities where they've had more aggressive responses to it has it stopped

32:15 it from happening and the answer is no and so that's why you can't just have like a one-sided imbalanced approach in fact even after the arrest did it stop teens from coming out again the very next day did it and so because it did not if if we believe that incarceration is the best way to keep people safe, America will be the safest place on the planet. We have more people locked up in

32:46 America than anywhere on the planet. And we are by far not the safest place on the globe. And that's why if you look at the approach that we've taken, go back. If you need it, we can pull the screen back up. In fact, let's do that. Why don't we just highlight where we hired more young people? let's just point to that real quick so if you look at here so austin we hired 1829 young people that's where i live by the way i live in the austin community and there was a 30 percent

33:18 decrease in shootings and a 30 percent decrease in homicides that was in 2025 auburn gresham You all see that. 976 people were hired, 28% reduction, and then a 66.7% reduction in homicides in Auburn-Gresham. Roseland, check this out. We hired 966 people. There was a 39.3% reduction in shootings and a 100% reduction in homicides.

33:53 100% reduction in homicides in the Roseland community South Shore we hired 892 people there was a 25.5% reduction in shootings and a 37.5% in homicides and then North Lawndale 867 young people between the ages of 14 and 24 were hired and we had a 50% we cut shootings in half in North Lawndale, and 66.7% reduction in homicides. So what conclusions can we draw from

34:24 this? We hold people accountable, but if we give them opportunity, we can create safer communities. Thank you. Como esta, senor? I'm not going to the Vatican. I'm always Italian. Muy bien, mi amor. I appreciate that sir. My first question is about on the accountability piece of the teen takeover conversation and you answered Heather's question about parental accountability by saying look it's not just parents it's all adults who have to takeover.

35:00 responsibility in this moment but on the other hand if everyone's accountable no one's accountable is it time for the city to uh change its laws to hold parents more accountable for actions of kids who get into trouble during these unauthorized takeovers there are already laws on the books that do that should they be changed i mean that's a legislative question i mean And honestly, what I'm saying is that as an executive, what I have the ability to control is to make sure that we create opportunity.

35:33 At the executive level, the accountability is arrest. What I'm saying, though, is, and I hope I don't sound like a broken record. I don't mean to sound that way. But we have more arrests and more people incarcerated in this country than any other place on the globe. And so my question is, and just maybe it's more rhetorical, is it time for us to reconsider that approach if arrests alone doesn't drive violence down, right? Again, what I'm saying is that the safest places in America all have something in common. They invest in people. And we've, unfortunately,

36:10 we've lacked that. Within just one year, I just put the screen up. Could you imagine if city council, if we're talking about laws, or even the state legislature, would give us more money to do that work, we reduce homicides by 100% in Roseland. Could you imagine then, there's more empirical evidence that my investments drive violence down than what you're suggesting through your question, right? So I think the larger question is, what works, right? What works?

36:45 And if it works, let's do more of that. If it doesn't work, then I think the question should be, why are we still doing the things that do not work? A question, if I may, about interconnected Chicago, which is the strategy you announced yesterday dealing with identity-related crimes. A number of leaders of Jewish organizations, the AJC and the ADL, have said they weren't consulted or invited to be part of this.

37:15 They say it looks like you're trying to exclude what they describe as the mainstream Jewish experience in Chicago. What conversations, if any, have you had with them? Are they open to be part of this council, and why not include them in the planning process? Well, first of all, we have spoken with multiple Jewish leaders around anti-Semitism, and it doesn't have a place here or anywhere, right? And ensuring that our police department is responding effectively to communities that are populated by our Jewish siblings, we've done that.

37:56 We just had a roundtable in this very room with students who are all Jewish from around the universities. It's a great conversation about ways in which we can support the Jewish community and provide strong safety mechanisms in place. And I've met with multiple Jewish leaders in my office, many rabbis, around how we can come together to address anti-Semitism.

38:27 Now, what I will say in a very emphatic way is that that work is ongoing. That work doesn't stop with just those conversations. I will also say this. I've invited people to the table, and some have accepted the invitation, and others, they have free will. And year over year, we have seen a decline in anti-Semitism. There's more work to be done, but that work doesn't end with those conversations. that work is ongoing and the table is always open there's always a spread for us to come together

39:00 to ensure that our jewish siblings feel loved seen and supported and protected and that's what i'm going to continue to do good morning man good morning uh i have i'm going to try and do two questions very quickly because i also have to leave okay uh one uh you talk a lot about addressing the root causes uh of of teenagers here in the city uh and things that can be done there well it's both and it's not just root causes right we've already talked about that but it's about the immediate response and that's why what we've said is that we prevent the vast majority of these

39:31 from ever taking place you know there is a effort in city council to hold the social media apparatuses accountable i believe that we should continue to explore that and i'm going to continue to work with alderman all around that it's why we're actually taxing these big tech companies for the role that they have played in harming the mental health and well-being of our young people, but it's both and. And again, I don't have the... I'm going to see if I can find these numbers real quick. I know you have ago in terms of how many people were arrested but that's an immediate response there were more than

40:05 53. Well just on Saturday though there were 15 people that were arrested on Saturday and it didn't stop the trend from happening in Hyde Park and so again what I'm offering is and I just want to make sure that you all hear me clearly is that the immediate response of course is to prevent them from happening and our police department along with our CVI community organizations, a lot of these trends never materialize. We've even worked with some individuals who are responsible for these trends to get them to do something more productive,

40:39 right? Even in the immediate, I signed an executive order through the peace book where we hired 50, is it full-time? Full-time workers? 50, right? And for supervisors to work year round to create stronger accountability peer-to-peer right so there's a lot of immediate work that's happening but don't dismiss the root causes right because 2025 I remember in fact when I was running for mayor folks said that those efforts would take years to manifest 2025 a 100 percent in one year

41:16 we reduced homicides by 100 percent in Roseland please understand what I'm saying that there's value in investing in people because i can tell you something when you talk about root causes people assume that it takes a long time for that to manifest i think that's where you're leading towards if someone's hungry and the root causes of their pain is their hunger if you give them a good job today and you give them food today that root cause gets addressed immediately do not

41:46 describe root causes as some sort of long-term effort because i can tell you if someone who has growing up in a home where the ends and always meet we address root causes in my administration because it responds to the immediate need okay i'm going to try and ask heather and craig's question this way and i have a feeling i'm going to get the same answer but obviously there is an effort uh to get a city ordinance uh to hold parents accountable would you be in favor of that or have you have you seen it i haven't seen it no okay well i know there's the effort to get

42:22 Okay, so you're asking me if I would support an effort that no one has seen? But I think you understand what the essence of the ordinance would be. Without seeing it, I don't think it's a responsible decision by any politician to just assume based upon efforts what it would be. Look, accountability happens when people break the law, we hold them accountable. And if you go back and look at how many people were arrested, just go back and look.

42:54 Did it stop it from happening the next day? Did it? Now, that's a literal question. That's not rhetorical. Did it stop it from happening? Okay, okay. I'm just saying, though. How do you think you would support an ordinance that said that? That said what? That said that they would hold parents accountable. In what way? Like, hold them accountable in what way? Because, listen, if you look at the laws that are on the books, there are laws that hold parents accountable if they're negligible. So if you cannot provide me, and if they have not provided me with any information centered around what that accountability mechanism would sound like or look like,

43:30 to opine on something like that is not, I don't think that's responsible governance. Thank you. Harry, you're welcome. Good luck with your story. Hurry up. I'm Nolan. Hi, Mayor. Hey. Say hi to the world. Best Sox fan. for me i'm for most probably will really don't want to ask about the bears but that it's i can't help myself it's all right um the so all right with the you keep saying that that chicago is the only um plan on that you know that on the table because it is i'm not just saying it

44:04 it is right so then all right so remind us then what is the ask of springfield i mean look the ask hasn't hasn't i mean i haven't veered away from the ask is that and i believe there's a responsible way in which we can create economic vibrancy throughout the city of chicago right and i've already demonstrated that i can get mega projects off the ground right uh foundry park is a good example and linking yards that land set desolate for a very long time nothing moved but

44:37 I was able to move there, and there's 9,000 units that will take place there next week, I believe, on the south side of Chicago. We're going to break ground for Advocate Health, the first hospital to be built on the south side of Chicago, the 1901 project. I imagine going on and on about, and so what I'm saying is that Springfield can help support. Chicago remain the top tourist destination by creating pathways in which, you know, we can continue to build in our city.

45:12 I think in terms as it relates to the Bears, that those asks have never changed. I mean, you were at that initial press conference, and basically what we said was there needs to be support for infrastructure there. But keep in mind that I'm not the first mayor to ask for infrastructure along the museum campus. So that that ask has not changed. Right. And what we've also said was, if you look at the mechanism in which we would pay for a stadium that the people of Chicago would own, that the Bears would pay 72 to 75 percent of the cost of the stadium and that the other 22 to 25 percent would be paid for by visitors through the hotel tax, which is a tax that is collected through a mechanism that's called ISFA.

45:56 ISFA was put in place by Mayor Harold Washington that eventually led to the stadium being built on the south side for, of course, the beloved Pope's favorite team in Chicago. And so the ask is not something like supernatural. It's a presentation that has been utilized before. Again, a publicly owned stadium, the public would own it and that the bears and visitors would pay for. I wanted to ask Sarah's question differently.

46:26 Sort of just re-ask it, but ask it to me. I just really love the way you are so collegial around here. We're trying to be. It's great. Oh, you have an 11 o'clock? You're not going to make it. Oh, wow. Yes. This is a housekeeping question my producers are hounding me for. What time is your flight, and what airline are you taking? All right. It's United, and I believe that we lift off at 3.30? 3.45. 3.45. Yeah. All right. OK. OK. Chicago based United. So at least I know where she's going.

47:02 That is too funny. Can we can we go with it? No. Listen. So. All right. CTU leadership failed to get members to sign off on increasing the dues for political activity. Also, your campaign coffers have been slow to fill up compared to other people who are thinking about running for mayor. at what point does that become a problem for you politically given that you you're pointing to these gains that you're making you need money to get your message out there will be school board

47:32 elections there will be automatic contests there'll be a mayoral contest at what point is it a problem you're really doing sarah a really good favor right here this is impressive this is good no i think i asked it go for it let me just say first of all look all right if money is the predictor of a campaign outcome then i would not be the mayor of chicago i was outspent three to one here's the best way to get the message out it's not about my

48:09 political message it's about what's happening in chicago you all have the ability to do that it's it's why we come together on a regular basis so that you all can tell the story but it's also another way in which it holds my administration accountable you all begin to tell the story how shot spotter and how some people viewed shot spotter was going to be just this disruptive element that and I've seen some of the clippings around that

48:39 right and over and over and over and over and over again the question about Shotspot just kept coming up what it did was if I can just be very vulnerable here it invoked fear it did because you had people who really believe that this tool was keeping them safe and all throughout the coverage shot spotter shot spotter shot spotter don't get rid of don't get rid of it it's got you know all the the the machinations around it and it it told an element of a decision that i believe invoked

49:14 fear i'm not saying that you all should not have covered it i'm saying that as much as i offered empirical evidence otherwise that part of the story did not get illuminated as much as the fear part did and this is not to shout any one particular person out but there was only one outlet right now that has the story that it turns out that police response and safety actually improved once we got rid of it so if we're just talking government response not political response

49:48 what responsibility do we all have i tell the story through this medium to begin to say after further review, it turns out that youth employment and getting rid of ShotSpotter actually improve the quality of life for people. How about we just run that on loop for the next 10 weeks, and then we can go back and see my polling numbers. Thank you. Okay, good morning. First of all, blessings of my patron, St. Martin Depores of Lima, Peru,

50:22 for the good rabbi who's going to bring the Pope White Sox kipper because it is about representing diversity and inclusion for Chicago. And speaking of the Pope, in light of his apology two days ago on behalf of the Holy See and its enabling of the transatlantic slave trade, will your discussion with him include getting him on board with reparations

50:53 considering that he is by lineage the first black pope? a descendant of enslaved as well as enslavers. I think that's an important conversation and absolutely again I'm going to thank him for his recognition of the harm that slavery caused across the globe and how as we celebrate as you all know we're going into our 250th year as a nation this nation is not what it is without the

51:25 free labor and the forced labor of black people. And so that apology and that recognition is very much aligned with my ongoing effort to repair the harm that has been caused by slavery. You know, as we work to invest in black Chicago, particularly around housing, you just saw the investments we're making with our young people in those communities, mental and behavioral health, the 400 years

51:57 of harm will not be repaired in one marital term. And I think it's going to be incumbent upon all of us as we approach this next season, a season in which the Voting Rights Act that was secured by the blood sweat tears and pain of black folks that ultimately provided opportunities for everyone that it is only right that we have a substantive conversation about how we prepare that harm it's not enough to just simply recognize the harm um we have to we have to heal from it

52:34 so to clarify you would yes work to get him to use his pulpit yes you were worked i was thinking I think I was very clear about that. I just want to be sure. Yes. Okay, a different take on the question that's been nagging you this whole press conference. So a lot of the fully grown adults that we've been formally polled say that want to know when you all are going to enact and enforce robust consequences for these perpetrators of large gatherings that either start off as mobs or evolve.

53:11 into mobs because they're saying the doctor spocking on this is not getting it and they agree with your police superintendent that it's time to show some compassion for the victims as well as the victimizers yeah well look again the accountability mechanism is if people break the law they should be arrested and once they're arrested then the evidence is provided to the

53:41 state's attorney or the state's attorney has the ability to prosecute and as far as how robust that is it's really all depends on you know what those charges are and again i think it's imperative to note that with all of the arrests that we have already made those arrests and those cases will be referred to to the state's attorney and they should be held accountable to the to the extent of the law mayor johnson chicago is making national news on a weekly if not daily basis

54:15 due to viral videos of violent black teenagers taking over chicago neighborhoods assaulting not only chicago citizens destroying property but assaulting police officers sending them to the hospital real chicagoans law-abiding chicagoans are asking me if this is a chapelle show sketch when you say when you brag that somehow 40 plus people being shot over memorial day weekend is some kind of a success we have uh you know half a dozen police officers sent to the

54:47 hospital due to uh being rammed in a car by a violent black teenager at one of these uh takeovers thank you william thank you let's wrap up the question let him answer please you know i mean you didn't interrupt anyone else's question Why would you interrupt my question? Please ask the question. Every reporter here has asked multiple questions. Why would you interrupt my question? Please ask the question. Thank you, William. I understand that every other reporter wants to talk about how the police are of the problem, which is your policy, which is your rhetoric, which has led to these kinds of problems.

55:19 According to the citizens, the real law-abiding citizens of Chicago, they say that your rhetoric and your policies are actually causing these violent black teenagers. Please get to the question and let Mary answer your question. So the question is, if police officers can't be safe in the city of Chicago, if a police officer can't even transport a violent repeat offender to a hospital without being murdered, then how can the average citizen be safe? And how many of your Chicago police officer bodyguards

55:54 will be accompanying you to your all-expense-paid luxury vacation to Rome. Thank you, William. Thank you. Well, you know, look, as I've said repeatedly, safety is our top priority. And, you know, I'm grateful to the women and men who serve in our police department that protect our residents. And the important part about all of this is that I've always said repeatedly that it's not policing alone, right? Like police officers are being asked to do more and more each and every day.

56:26 That's why I've worked hard to expand behavior and mental health support services, right, so that it takes some of that pressure off of law enforcement to respond to those scenes. And, again, as far as these teen trends, we're all working hard to prevent them from happening. and, you know, the reckless behavior of this individual who drove the car and harmed our officers, I'm grateful that they are recovering. And I believe that individual was not even a Chicagoan, if I'm not mistaken.

57:01 And, you know, depending on your definition of a teen, this person was 18, he's 18 years old. So by some definition, old enough to vote and is an adult. So thank you. Okay, so my follow-up question is simply this. You're going to Rome, all-expense-paid, luxury vacation, the type of vacation that no Chicagoan, very few Chicagoans, could possibly ever experience in their entire lifetime. And what real Chicagoans are asking me is, who's paying for this?

57:37 Thank you. I got your question. It's World Business Chicago. I mean, you're the chairman. How many of the people on this trip have business with Chicago, have contracts with Chicago, have our vendors? What do they expect? World Business Chicago is an apparatus that was designed by previous administrations to help build and attract business to Chicago, and we're doing that.

58:09 Look, we are the top destination for corporate relocation. 13 years in a row. We were voted the best big city in America by Conde Nast, I believe eight, nine years in a row. We have the busiest airport in the entire world. We have more people visiting downtown than any other time in the history of Chicago. And of course, one act of violence is one too many. But yet we cannot deny the fact that we are moving in the right direction and we're gonna continue to build the safest, most affordable big city in America.

58:39 And we're gonna remain open for business, But unlike other previous administrations, Chicago is just not for sale. Thank you. Hey, Mayor. Oh, hey. How are you? So Alderman Hopkins yesterday talked about his curfew push that he's had for two years now. And one thing he told me was that he says he has a city council majority, as he has before, for the latest version of his ordinance, which is the 12-hour notice. and he said that he hasn't brought it up for a vote because you haven't committed to allowing

59:09 it to pass if a city council majority does support it to not vetoing it do you have a stance on if you would veto it or not especially as he tries to put the ball in your court to say i'm only going to bring this up for a vote if the mayor says you won't veto it i've already taken my position and as we've seen across the globe right there was flash mobs in london you all this is a global dynamic it's something that is happening all over the world and you are seeing I have

59:40 regular conversations with mayors and if you listen to what Mary Sheffield is saying and what she's done she said accountability and opportunity she's expanding and activating spaces around the city of Detroit Washington D.C. has the National Guard on the ground and it is proven to be ineffective right so Cool. And some of these are the same individuals that believe that there would be massive acts of violence if we got rid of ShotSpotter. I just think that we should just think critically in this moment around how we can prevent the harm from happening.

1:00:18 And look, I know how scary and overwhelming this is for Chicagoans, right? Because we want to make sure that what we do, that it actually works. And so asking the city of Chicago to embrace something that has not demonstrated effectiveness, I believe that's a step backwards. And the step forward is, again, taking a look at the things that we have demonstrated that have proven to be effective and then finding ways in which we can fully fund that effectiveness.

1:00:52 Thank you. You're welcome. I'm going to switch to a piece of technology that I think everyone hates in Chicago, which is the parking meter system. You know, the city council will have the ability to approve or not the deal that's coming forward. And, you know, I've heard some discuss that they believe the city council has the ability to reject that deal and potentially to create leverage for the city to get a better deal or to totally rework things. I'm wondering how you view that. What do you think the opportunity for the city? Well, based upon what the Department of Law has consulted and provided me with,

1:01:28 the understanding that I have is that the scope that the city council has is quite minuscule. It's very limited. So to the extent in which there is a lot of room based upon the way the initial law was crafted, and there are individuals who were obviously on the city council when they voted for it, could tell you as well that there are that deal is there's a reason why it was described as the worst ever in the history of not just municipal government but government period because it gave

1:02:00 all of the control essentially to to the vendor and took the control and the accountability away from the government body hi mayor hi um obviously you're leaving for rome today which is a big deal not trying to you know dispute the historical significance of your meeting with the pope obviously but as you know timing is kind of everything in politics and there's a lot of time sensitive issues at play right now with the legislative deadline on sunday obviously you've got the ctu in springfield right now lobbying what is maybe your message to people

1:02:35 who might be criticizing your your time um with with this high profile visit to rome obviously this was something that's been in the works for a long time um but what's kind of your message to reassure Chicagoans that you are you know on on top of all of this what's happening here at home yeah I mean I am on top of everything here right now um you know look the local government distributive fund so let's just take them both let's separate the two for a second there's a question about whether or not me being in Rome will allow for the work in Springfield to continue

1:03:08 because I'm in a different time zone. That's essentially the question, right? So here's the unique thing about being mayor of Chicago. I have a team, right? So we have individuals that are in Springfield, whether I'm there or not. There are individuals that are having multiple conversations with several legislators, right? Because as you know, there are 118 state reps. How many state senators are there? Half of that. 59 right and so you know having conversations and then there's a governor right so conversations

1:03:44 happen all the time with a variety of legislators and so that work continues and not only do we have the team the the things that we are pushing for in springfield the local government distributive fund the governor proposed to cut it me along with mayors across the state are working hard to to restore those dollars right we're calling for digital ad tax right there's the 911 surcharge that allows for us to respond to community safety matters you

1:04:21 know of course is going to be an ongoing effort to push for funding all of our public accommodations so that work is still working in and there are folks that have been doing that non-stop and I will be in close proximity whether it's through phone, through Teams or Zoom, if those conversations need personal face time. And then as far as the historic significance of this encounter that I'm going to have with the highest profile religious leader on the planet is also moving our agenda forward.

1:04:56 Like that conversation is not separate and apart for the work that's happening. being in Springfield or city council or anywhere else, right? We're talking about his position and stance against endless wars, where I was the person who broke the tie and took some political consequence for it, but I stand firm on it when we called for the end, to calling for a ceasefire and the releasing of hostages. And now we're seeing whether it's in Venezuela or Iran or anywhere else,

1:05:27 we see the position that this pope has taken. And so we're going to have a substantive conversation around how his pulpit and my executive authority can bring healing. I think the last thing that I think in terms of the significance, you've also heard his position not just on slavery, but on AI. Right. And the impact that that could have on workers. Do you see the connection? Right. So I think the people of Chicago will appreciate a mayor that can be in both places at the same time in connecting the work.

1:05:58 It's not separate and apart, though I've parsed them that way just so that I can be absolutely clear that all of it is working together to build the safest, most affordable big city in America. Thank you. You're welcome. One more question for you. I was just talking with one of the members of the Chicago Teachers Union recently, and it sounds like the overall message within the union is they're very grateful for your support in being so vocal about fully funding these classrooms, especially with that budget deficit. And they had asked me to ask you this.

1:06:29 How many did you speak to? This is the vice president of the Chicago Teachers Union. Okay, because you said I spoke to one of them. I wanted to make sure who you spoke with. So you spoke with the vice president? Correct. Jackson Potter. Correct. Got it. Okay. The question is this. Obviously, you know, there are critical programs, you know, that are at risk here. How can you alleviate the harm that could be imposed to black and brown families, which sounds like it makes up about 80 percent of the student population yeah i think it's actually a little higher than that i want to say it's 87 percent of the population for black and brown

1:07:03 students and and a good number of them are on free or reduced lunch so you may know this you may not know but last year in my city's budget i released the largest tiff surplus in the history of chicago into our public schools to mitigate that harm right because right now what when i talk to jackson potter or when i talk to other members when i talk to families and parents the question that they tend to ask me is how do we work together to make sure that the state of illinois fully funds the school district right because i know you know this but i just want to

1:07:38 make sure that the people who are watching hear this that the mechanism in which our schools are funded there's an over reliance upon property taxes and that's not just the city of Chicago that school districts around the state and this is why we have repeatedly called for progressive revenue to fully fund our schools right so the real power and the opportunity in this moment to protect black and brown students who overwhelmingly make up our public schools is that instead of having a conversation about alleviating property tax responsibility from corporations

1:08:09 that's ultimately going to hurt schools and libraries and parks that we should really be pushing for progressive revenue to fully fund our schools which is at about 3.6 billion dollars underfunded right now thanks god bless you justin good evening i don't miss my flight i'm trying to prep you for room time so you you know you've said several times now that the ask for the Bears has not changed but that ask was two years ago and the answer

1:08:42 hasn't changed either right that's true that's true and part of the reason is you're you're losing some nuance when you say only the Bears and hotel guests would pay for it right because 10 million from the city and state goes to ISFA every year that hotels aren't booked up enough you know that the cities lgdf gets taken to to cover that revenue and you were asking to extend that for another 40 years it would cost roughly five billion dollars over that time so that is why you know

1:09:16 the state has not been willing to do that if that's the case you know that's the answer why is two years gone by and you haven't changed that well because there's no better assets on the table is what i'm saying is that the bears want to remain in chicago that's what they wanted they only moved away because the state of illinois which i don't typically accept the entire nuance that you provided but let's just go with it for a second that as of date we are still the only plan so the larger question the question that i'm raising

1:09:53 and it's the question that many people are raising. How are we voting on something that would give property... tax relief to a corporation and the said corporation that wants the property tax relief has not put together a traffic study there's no study around the infrastructure in fact we don't even know how they're going to fully fund the stadium that would be privately owned so like i get the interrogation of of my deal what i'm saying is let's just put both deals on the table

1:10:24 and see which one is most responsible for taxpayers that's what we have not been afforded You're opposed to the bill, right, because it includes the language that helps them move to Arlington Heights. I wouldn't necessarily characterize it that way. My opposition is that the 40- to 45-year ramp that we just saw from the Cook County Treasurer had a conservative estimate that it would cost those local governing bodies about $1.5 billion, and that was just for the stadium.

1:10:56 That did not encompass the entire campus, right? So our conservative estimate that is still sitting around $4 billion is a conversation that I just believe that the taxpayers should deserve to be engaged in. So $4 billion for a corporation at a time in which affordability for the everyday person is top of mind, that's where you're experiencing and seeing opposition. It has written that the pilot would only be used for the stadium parcels. It wouldn't be for the larger development.

1:11:28 And I think that's why they didn't address that. I don't know if that's the full case here. The property tax relief period over the course of 40 to 45 years, you can't separate the stadium from the entire land that you're going to ask to be excused to have to pay property taxes from. So the $1.5 billion specifically to the stadium, yes, you're right, but the bill does encompass a property tax benefit for the entire parcel, which is ultimately going to conservatively, we're talking $150 to $200 million a year over the course of 40 years, that's $4 billion.

1:12:05 And again, furthermore, the Bears said $2.5 billion for the stadium. The stadium costs $4 billion. Where are they getting the other $1.5 billion from? There's just a lot more questions on that side than the questions that are centered around the plan that was proposed for the Bears to remain in Chicago. The question I'm trying to get to is, like, your administration has been meeting with Bob Dunn. There is specific new proposed incentives in that package right now, as of now, that would incentivize development there, that would incentivize development at a potential ADM track, at Michael Reese.

1:12:40 it seems that you are comfortable with that railroad specific incentive but as of now it's in a larger bill that you're opposing how are you hopeful or you do you want a scenario where the rest of that bill doesn't move forward and do you think if that's the case that lawmakers might approve you know come back to it and approve the railroad specific language that I think that I I think you are in broad support of.

1:13:11 I see where you're going. Thank you for that question. Look, I'm supportive of all efforts that allow for us to continue to grow our economy in Chicago, right, especially if the taxpayers get a direct benefit from it, right. And as I indicated earlier, the development that's happening, you know, the 78, right, There's going to be TIF dollars that we will use to help bring that stadium into fruition.

1:13:43 Same thing on the southeast side, where we're going to break ground with a brand new hospital. So there are obviously ways in which mega projects can happen, the 1901 project, which is going to build affordable homes. I believe a 6,000-seat auditorium for the arts. We're talking about real economic development here where jobs, this is not just about building a stadium. This is about building community. And so the mechanisms that we can use to continue to grow our economy, of course, I'm going to not just explore, but actively push for, you know, and it all has to benefit the taxpayers.

1:14:20 All right. You all have been very gracious with you all's time. Thank you. You all have really been gracious. Thank you. I appreciate it. Thank you. The B-52 said, roll them if you want to. You can try to sell that pun back here for an hour. Thank you.

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