During an Economic Club of Chicago event this week, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said that the perception of the city as crime-ridden is holding his company back.
“Everywhere I go, I’m confronted by the same question these days – what's going on in Chicago? While it may wound our civic pride to hear it, there is a general sense out there that our city is in crisis,” said the leader of the Chicago-headquartered global company.
Kempczinski mentioned the departure of several large companies – Boeing, Caterpillar and Citadel – from the city as evidence.
“Their departure is not good news for your city,” he said. The McDonald’s CEO said that high taxes have played into the loss and that it is getting harder to run a “global business” from the city.
On the other hand, McDonald’s recently moved its corporate Innovation Center to its Chicago headquarters.
“We need to rejuvenate the sense of partnership – private and public partnership – that has defined Chicago for centuries,” he said. “This is in our DNA, but there is a general sense, right now, that we’ve lost some of that in the past few years.
Kempczinski identified crime as one of the key hurdles for Chicago economically and said “it’s seeping in to every corner of our city.”
Chicago does have its share of crime, but data does not back up perception of the city as epically crime-ridden compared to other U.S. municipalities. In fact, a study conducted this year ranked Naperville, Ill., a suburb located in the Chicago metropolitan area, as the safest city in the entire nation.
“Chicago has struggled mightily to contain violence, but its reputation has probably also been shaped by portrayals in film and TV; news coverage; and political messaging,” said a New York Times report published last year. The report noted that “former President Donald J. Trump repeatedly criticized Chicago,” and that “conservatives have long depicted Chicago as a crime capital.”
Most people who responded to a quiz sent out by the outlet believed Chicago was the murder capital of the country, when it actually ranked seventh. According to the more recent study, Chicago didn’t even land on the top 15 list of most dangerous cities in the U.S.
According to the Chicago Crime Lab, “in cities across the country, people face high rates of gun violence, and social harms associated with the criminal justice system, all of which disproportionately impact people of color.”
It explained that governments have difficulties addressing crime issues since they are complex.
“Crime Lab staff partner with civic and community leaders to generate evidence on what works to tackle crime, violence, and the collateral costs the criminal justice system,” said the organization.
Kempczinski too believes that partnerships are the key to making sure Chicago is stable and thriving.
“We’re betting on Chicago in the long term, because we think it makes good business sense,” he said. Going forward, he wants to make sure that people associate the metropolis with growth and opportunity rather than crisis.
“Chicago is an incredible city and we need to celebrate its virtues,” said Kempczinski, who quoted McDonald’s franchise pioneer Ray Kroc’s words: “I was convinced the best was ahead of me.”
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