Chicago’s ‘Take Back the Block’ summer program seeks to target crime by linking residents to resources

CHICAGO — The city’s summer program “Take Back the Block” kicked off the holiday weekend on the West Side.

The city is targetting violent crime by flooding communities like Humboldt Park with opportunities to access city services and resources, hoping that all together, they can make neighborhoods safer.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson brought his initiative to Spaulding and Le Moyne on Friday afternoon, kicking off the weekend with video games, food and a mission.

“We are showing up in Humboldt Park and guess what? We are not leaving. This is not just a one-stop shop, we’re going to come over and over again in order to build a better, stronger, safer Chicago,” Johnson said.

The summer program has visited several neighborhoods so far this summer, with the goal of reducing and preventing violence by connecting neighbors to resources.

“Behavioral health, mental health, restorative justice, violence prevention,” April Curtis, a Humboldt Park native who works with kids in Chicago Public Schools said.

“I grew up on the second floor over there when I was a teenager, which it was much more violent during those days, but even now to come back, ‘Take Back our Block’ means that as a community, as a collective, it is really important that we feel safe,” Curtis said.

For the kids, there’s an easy upside to attending an event like this.

“The snow cones,” 10-year-old Kaitlyn Vazquez said.

Vazquez’s great-grandmother, Diana Vazquez, said she is hopeful that the city will follow through on its promise.

“I hope that what he said, that they’re going to keep coming back and keep coming back into these neighborhoods until we get them fixed,” Diana Vazquez said.

The Mayor’s work does not end this weekend. Johnsons office said there is one more summer “Take Back the Block” event scheduled to take place next week.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.