CHICAGO (WLS) — There were shootings and murders, but not as many as last Memorial Day weekend.
This year in Chicago, from Friday evening at 6 p.m. until midnight on Monday, 24 people were shot, with three of those incidents resulting in fatalities, according to the local police. In comparison, the previous year in 2024, there were 41 shootings, with nine being fatal.
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“Violence is decreasing in Chicago. We are saving lives and investing in our communities to make this city safer and more affordable,” said Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. “It’s not just a slogan; it’s an objective I’m committed to achieving.”
Mayor Johnson emphasizes this notion as he takes pride in the 24% reduction in violent crime so far this year. He attributes this success to a comprehensive, citywide strategy focused on safety.
“It’s not just policing; it’s policing and youth employment. It’s policing and behavior mental health support services,” Johnson said.
But Chicago is not alone.
Other big cities, including San Francisco and Philadelphia, also experienced a drop in crime over Memorial Day weekend. Experts say numbers are finally leveling off after a big spike during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The University of Chicago Crime Lab says while Chicago is doing well, crime rates remain higher than those in New York and Los Angeles.
“I think it is too early to take a victory lap and say, we know for sure what is working at what will sustain that progress,” said University of Chicago Crime Lab Executive Director Katie Hill.
Sustaining the progress is likely to be difficult as the Trump administration’s federal cuts are looming.
“This is impacting our Office of Emergency Management, communications, fire department, our police department, all of these entities work together to continue to drive crime down,” said Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Garien Gatewood.
The cuts could also have a big impact on violence intervention groups that rely on government grants. Some groups worry the cuts to their programs could be as deep as 30%.
Kofi Ademola’s GoodKidsMadCity organization works with high school kids to train them as neighborhood peacekeepers. His goal is to expand the program next year.
“If federal funds aren’t available for that, then a bunch of young people and trained up in power to make the community safer no longer have access to resources,” Ademola said.
Outreach programs like Midnight Basketball could also be hurt. The program’s events are held in communities like Austin, Englewood, North Lawndale and South Shore.
“In some cases, agencies who are receiving federal funding probably have somewhere along the line of 15 outreach workers in those communities,” Bamani Obadele, director of community engagement for Acclivus Inc., said. “You can probably see that go down to maybe 12 to 10. It could be catastrophic because you want to make sure you have key individuals.”
The mayor says he remains confident that when the weather warms up and school ends, his approach to safety, along with the city’s summer safety plan, will continue to pay off and violence will continue to decline.
Others say the next test for the city will be the Fourth of July holiday weekend, when summer is officially in full swing.
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