(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – Mayor Johnson says his administration's efforts aimed at heading off potentially disruptive gatherings of young people are paying off, but he’d prefer not to hear them characterized as “mob actions.”
The mayor answered questions at City Hall Wednesday, just days after police arrested more than 40 people who refused to disperse after a gathering Sunday night of as many as 400 people.
As he did so, the mayor cut off a reporter who referred to those gatherings as "mob actions,” saying that term was not appropriate.
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“It’s important that we speak of these dynamics in an appropriate way. This is not to obfuscate what is actually taking place, but we have to be very careful when we use language to describe certain behavior," he said.
“There’s history in this city. I mean, to refer to children as like baby Al Capones is not appropriate.”
Johnson, who refers to the incidents as "gatherings," praised efforts by police response to the latest one.
Officers responded Sunday evening to South Canal Street and West Roosevelt Road, where a large group ignored multiple commands to leave the area. Dozens of people, mostly juveniles, were charged with reckless conduct. Others were charged with trespassing, bodily harm, and unlawful use of a weapon.
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