Chicago wants communities to be involved in new safety plan

Photo byMax FleischmannonUnsplash

Violence has plagued communities in Chicago for decades, and various failed safety initiatives have come and gone; however, Mayor Brandon Johnson and the City of Chicago's Office of Community Safety (OCS) believe they've found a valuable solution.

During Johnson's mayoral campaign, "togetherness" and "community involvement" were strongly emphasized. The mayor's main selling point was getting the City to work together to build a better Chicago. Now, he and the OCS have revealed the People's Plan for Community Safety — a new community-led initiative focusing on long-term solutions to make all Chicago safe.

The critical parts of this plan are broken into two categories: People-based and Place-based.

• People-Based: The plan focuses on Chicagoans most impacted by historic disinvestment and violence. This includes outreach and intervention with youth and adults of highest promise — members of our community who have been affected by the repeated cycle of harm due to purposeful disinvestment — as well as support for victims and survivors of violence.
• Place-Based: To ensure a safer Chicago for generations, the plan addresses the root causes of violence through long-term, layered investments in critical areas: education, economic opportunity, housing, health, community environment, community violence intervention, and policing.

For this plan to be effective, everyone must be involved, from the government to community organizations, youth leaders, faith organizations, researchers, and even neighborhood businesses.

It might be a challenge, but it's worth a shot. According to the press release, the plan will start by focusing on the most vulnerable communities needing intervention through the pilot program and then make its way around neighborhoods in the City.