Just hours after city leaders held a news conference to discuss security plans for the summer, violence began.
At least 10 people were shot and one was stabbed in overnight violence in Chicago, leaving two dead.
The homicide occurred in the Albany Park neighborhood shortly after 11:20 p.m. on Friday. Police said two people in their twenties were found shot in the head in an alley.
At the same time, in the city center, a 23-year-old man said he was stabbed by an unknown person in a large crowd.
“No one should feel like their block is lost to criminals,” Ward 15 Councilman Raymond Lopez told NBC Chicago. The first of the weekend shootings occurred in his neighborhood.
“The mayor needs to take these things seriously now and allow the police to completely encapsulate neighborhoods and districts to have troops on the ground,” he said. “I have some serious concerns for this weekend.”
At Friday’s news conference, Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said they will incur overtime and will need to cancel officers’ days off this summer to have a greater visible presence downtown.
“We are making sure officers are given advance notice so they can address these changes,” Snelling said. “Everyone in this city, every family and every child deserves to enjoy summer without fear of violence. We didn’t start planning for summer a few weeks ago, but rather it was built on a year-long effort to allocate resources efficiently and “Ensuring that every neighborhood across the city makes safe living a reality for its residents.”
Mayor Brandon Johnson said he hopes to use the “full force” of government to combat crime this summer.
“No death is tolerable,” he said. “I don’t want anyone to get shot or die in Chicago, which is why we are introducing our community safety plan to respond to needs that have been ignored for generations.”
Johnson’s plan will focus on offering activities and jobs to young people. The One Summer Chicago initiative will offer 20 hours of paid work over six weeks to people ages 14 to 24. The city is also planning more activities at Chicago Park District facilities, as 22 city beaches opened Friday and 44 park district schools are scheduled to open June 17.
López said it is necessary to implement more changes and security measures in the immediate future.
“How can we make sure we have enough presence in high-crime communities?” he said. “Also call all anti-violence and violence interrupters and let them know…lastly, we can’t let things get out of control after midnight.”
You can read more about future plans summer safety here.
