CHICAGO CITY HALL (WBBM Newsradio) -- Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said his latest executive order creating a formal office dedicated to reducing gun violence is an attempt to make city government more nimble in responding to shootings.
The mayor on Thursday morning signed an order establishing the Mayor's Office of Gun Violence Reduction, to be led by Deputy Mayor for Community Safety Emmanuel Andre.
"We're the first major city in the country to set up an office dedicated to reducing gun violence," the mayor told WBBM Newsradio before the signing ceremony. "It's gonna allow for an advisory council to have the kind of insight on the ground to make government far more nimble in how we deliver resources and services."
The mayor also said he supports a call to make gun violence reduction a Cabinet-level department in city government. City Council is expected to consider such an ordinance soon.
The announcement comes less than a week after a mass shooting on the South side injured 14 people, and just days after community organizers renewed their call for a Cabinet-level gun violence reduction agency. The mayor did not say whether this executive order was a response to a specific incident: "This is a response to the overwhelming desire to create safer communities."
The mayor's executive order also appears to be an attempt to bolster his record on dealing with crime and violence ahead of next February's mayoral election. He has taken credit for post-COVID-19 reductions in shootings and homicides in the city, and has sought to point out that recent statistics showing an uptick in those crimes are focused on specific neighborhoods. He has yet to say officially whether he plans to run for re-election, though he's been dropping hints about a run in recent weeks. Former CHA leader Matthew Brewer formally entered the race Thursday morning, and Chicago Congressman Mike Quigley is set to announce his candidacy Saturday.
When asked how he intends to fund the office, the mayor returned to a familiar theme: targeting large corporations and wealthier Chicagoans: "I'm going to continue to work with City Council, the state Legislature and every level of government to challenge these big corporations to put more skin in the game, because it's a matter of life and death."
Executive order could lead to Cabinet-level department
Executive order could lead to Cabinet-level department
