City and Community Leaders Discuss The Perception Versus The Reality Of Crime in Chicago

The City Club of Chicago recently hosted Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, Chicago journalist Mary Mitchell, and community activist Father Michael Pfleger for a panel discussion about Crime in Chicago: Perception vs. Reality. Photo Credit: Provided by the City Club of Chicago
The City Club of Chicago recently hosted Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, Chicago journalist Mary Mitchell, and community activist Father Michael Pfleger for a panel discussion about Crime in Chicago: Perception vs. Reality. Photo Credit: Provided by the City Club of Chicago

City and Community Leaders Discuss The Perception Versus The Reality Of Crime in Chicago

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

The City Club of Chicago recently hosted a panel discussion about crime in Chicago and how the perception of crime in the city differs from the reality. The panel included the voices of Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, Chicago journalist Mary Mitchell, and community activist Father Michael Pfleger.

The event, Crime in Chicago: Perception vs. Reality, was moderated by Jackie Robinson-Ivy, member of the City Club of Chicago’s Board of Governors, who presented questions for the panelists that sparked conversations about community relationships, policing, and how to alleviate crime in Chicago by addressing deeper issues and trauma that leads to violent crime.

“When we lose one young person in this city it should affect all of us. For me, even though there has been a reduction in crime we have to do something about the perception. We have to do something about how we see the crime in this city. It’s not okay that our young people are dying and we should all be sad about that,” said Mitchell.

During the discussion, Johnson stated that murders are down 20 percent in Chicago and overall, shootings are down 19 percent but also acknowledged that those decreased statistics don’t make people feel safe and that is where the perception differs from the reality of crime in Chicago.

“I sit in a unique position where I see us turning the corner but people don’t feel 20 percent safer, they just don’t. There is a perception of what is going on out here,”said Johnson. “Crime is not just about the police. You have to have a holistic effort and a plan to drive down crime. We can have a thousand cops out there but if we don’t address the root causes then we will still be spinning our wheels.”

This idea of addressing the root causes of what leads people to commit violent crimes came up several times during the panel discussion.

“Young people need love, they need respect, they need guidance, and they need to know that people care,” said Mitchell. “When you really take your time and speak to them they want better things, they want a good life too, they want to live in a safe neighborhood, they want a community that’s crime free, and they want a community that is clean and decent just like every other kid.”

The entire panel was in agreement that more police is not the answer to curbing Chicago’s crime. All three participants stated that there are bigger issues that need to be addressed in order to rebuild hope in Chicago’s most devastated communities.

“We must deal with the other kind of crimes in Chicago that have nothing to do with the police. The crime of having high unemployment. The crime of having underfunded and underperforming schools. The crime of coming back from incarceration, Cook County is one of the largest in the nation that has incarcerated people coming back, with nothing to do and no opportunities,” said Pfleger.

To watch the entire panel discussion visit www.cityclub-chicago.org.

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