Governor Pritzker is defending the state’s support for violence interruptor programs in Chicago and elsewhere, after the alleged involvement of one participant in a burglary and fatal crash on the Mag-Mile.
The website “CWB Chicago” first reported that Governor Pritzker appeared in a photo with a community violence interruptor during an event in Englewood, less than a week before prosecutors say he took part in the September 11 smash-and-grab at the Louis Vuitton store. Authorities say that incident ended with a crash that killed a man one day before his paternity leave was set to start.
The governor’s people scrubbed the image of Pritzker with the suspect from his social media accounts after learning of the connection.
During an unrelated appearance in Joliet on Tuesday, the governor told reporters that his team was unaware that the suspect had outstanding warrants at the time.
But while Pritzker said “it’s awful when anybody commits a crime,” he also supported the recruitment of people with past criminal histories to work as violence interrupters. He said it’s often those people who have the best connections and most credibility with potentially violent people in communities.
“When you say that we shouldn’t have someone who’s been involved with crime before in their lives be part of a community violence intervention program … that’s just not how it works,” the governor said.
He also cited the interruptors’ work as a factor in what numbers suggest is a continued decrease in violent crime in Chicago.
And as for the picture, the governor said his security team can’t possibly vet everyone who wants to take a picture with him.
“They can’t (say), you know, ‘I’m sorry, let me see your background, let me look you up before you can take a picture’ … that’s just not how it works.”