Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) said this week that reparations could be a means to lower the city’s high crime rate. The statement came as Chicago has suffered a sharp increase in crime since 2020 as well as significant pressure from waves of arriving illegal immigrants.
The mayor made the comment during an interview with CNN this week. When asked about the increase in crime in the city this year, Johnson said that some categories of crime had decreased. He added that reparations could help reduce crime in Chicago.
He said that only the “full force of government” could build a “better, stronger and safer Chicago.” Johnson added that his new community safety plan attempts to “get at the root causes of violence in the city of Chicago” and to invest in the city. He said that the city has put in a quarter billion dollars to handle homelessness, $100 million for “violence prevention” and $80 million for a youth employment program.
“Reparations money will help”
– Chicago Mayor 🤡🌎 pic.twitter.com/4COFTYRxxF
— Wall Street Silver (@WallStreetSilv) December 28, 2023
“We have stood up an entire office dedicated to re-entry, so individuals who are returning to our communities who have been incarcerated, because of failed policies, we’ll have a welcoming space for them,” the mayor said.
The mayor added that he added $500,000 for “restorations and reparations to address, again, the cycle of violence, which looks like school closings, the closing of mental health facilities.” He said that investment was necessary for a safer city, adding that his budget had done so.
Both property and violent crime have seen a sharp increase in the Windy City since the 2020 George Floyd riots. This includes the recent homicide of a recently arrived migrant to the city.
Johnson also called for increased federal aid to help handle the flow of thousands of migrants into the city. Overall, Chicago under Johnson has welcomed the aliens into the city, despite increasing public protests.
Two suburbs of the city recently passed bans on the unscheduled drop-off of migrants following the recent wave of aliens entering the area.
