Defunding police is unrealistic
Memorial Day weekend 2022 was an extremely violent one in Chicago: 40 shootings and nine deaths recorded by police. As I write this letter, the 2023 weekend proved even more deadly, with 53 people shot and 11 fatalities. Among the people shot was a 2-year-old boy.
Not long before the weekend officially began at 6 p.m. May 26, police were already responding to North Avenue beach where a fight took place and shots were fired, resulting in felony charges against a teen.
Before the weekend, Mayor Brandon Johnson touted his use of paid, yellow-vested “peacekeepers” to help make the weekend safer than last year. Since his election, Johnson’s stated campaign goal of defunding police, while it appeals to a segment of those who bothered to vote in the mayoral election, is proving more unrealistic every single day!
Christine Craven, Evergreen Park
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