Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order creating an Office of Gun Violence Reduction, and he and supporters are seeking $100 million in funding for the new office.
I lost a 20-year-old son to gun violence. More bureaucracy and a new office will not solve the systemic issues related to gun violence.
In October 2010, less than a month before the gubernatorial election, then-Gov. Pat Quinn announced his Neighborhood Recovery Initiative. The program, meant to address the root causes of violence in Chicago and across Illinois, provided $55 million in taxpayer money to hire 3,000 at-risk youths in part-time and permanent jobs.
A CNN investigation found that teens were paid to hand out fliers, attend yoga classes, take field trips and march in a parade with the governor. Those tasks do not address the root causes of gun violence.
Chicago’s mayoral election is seven months out, and Johnson’s plan is similar to Quinn’s. Taxpayers should not be on the hook for another political boondoggle that may do little to reduce gun violence.
The city, state and Cook County collectively spend billions on public safety and violence prevention initiatives. The Chicago Police Department’s budget this year is $2.1 billion. Compare that with 2010, when CPD’s budget was $1.3 billion. The Illinois Department of Human Services’ Office of Firearm Violence Prevention spent nearly $150 million on grants in 2024. This office was created in 2021 as part of the Reimagine Public Safety Act and committed to investing $250 million over three years.
In 2021, Pritzker declared gun violence a public health emergency.
“The Reimagine Public Safety Act advances our commitment to make an unprecedented investment in public safety, utilize data to inform where help is most needed, address both immediate needs and systematic change to reduce gun violence, and most importantly, reach even more communities that have historically been left to fend for themselves,” Pritzker said.
Has the money spent on gun violence prevention led to an appreciable drop in the violence? Has violence prevention funding become politicians’ idea of a jobs program for young people out of work?
Through early July, Chicago recorded 229 homicides, marking a slight increase compared with the same period last year. Homicide has been the leading cause of death for Black males ages 15 to 44 for more than half a century.
A report by the Violence Policy Center and One Aim Illinois found Black Illinoisans were 26 times more More Top Picks Best Reading Chairs For Living Rooms
Who will save Black Chicago from the scourge of gun violence? Will it be Pritzker, Johnson, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch or Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle? Does anyone care that Black people account for 28% of the city population and yet almost 80% of gun violence victims?
It will take leadership, competence, courage and collaboration to save Black Chicagoans. Unfortunately, those character traits have been lacking for some time.
The Black population in the city is just over 700,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey. In 1980, the city’s Black population peaked at just under 1.2 million. The Black population has plummeted by half a million in less than 50 years.
Black Chicagoans are leaving in pursuit of greater safety, affordability and economic opportunity. Elected leaders’ policies have led to the great exodus from Chicago.
The following are suggestions to curtail gun violence:
• Johnson, Pritzker and Preckwinkle should collectively use public safety resources to drive gun violence down.
• Pritzker and Johnson should require every student meet basic requirements in reading and math before they pass to the next grade.
• Johnson should require labor unions to provide job opportunities for citizens living in high-crime areas.
• Johnson should take the handcuffs off the police.
• Faith leaders should provide job training and other skills for at-risk youths in high-crime areas.
• Pritzker should establish a commission to examine the number of Black people being shot and killed in Chicago. The commission should report within one year and provide recommendations to stop the bloodshed.
“The most dangerous creation of any society is the man who has nothing to lose,” American novelist and civil rights activist James Baldwin noted. According to research from University of Illinois Chicago’s Great Cities Institute, for Black Chicagoans ages 20 to 24, the joblessness rate is 46.5%, and for teens 16 to 19 years old it spikes at 81.9%.
Black citizens are a part of the great tapestry of Chicago. Unfortunately, gun violence is claiming the lives of far too many Blacks. The politicians cannot save Black Chicago, because they created and allow a system of inequality to flourish.
Can you hear Marvin Gaye singing “What’s Goin On?”
Father, father
We don’t need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we’ve got to find a way
To bring some lovin’ here today.
We need more love in our homes and communities.
I write this commentary to make those comfortable with promoting inequality uncomfortable.
Willie Wilson is a business owner, philanthropist and former mayoral candidate.
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