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According to Chicago police data, last weekend saw 29 separate
shooting incidents throughout the city, which resulted in 47
people being shot and five who died.
Johnson was asked about large youth gatherings and pushed back
on them being called anything else.
"It's important that we speak of these dynamics in the
appropriate way. This is not to obfuscate what has actually
taken place, but we have to be very careful when we use language
to describe certain behavior," Johnson said. "To refer to
children as baby Al Capones is not appropriate."
Johnson said he did not know the age of all those who were
arrested.
Holiday weekends have resulted in large gatherings and high
crime in Chicago, as 74 people were shot during the Father's Day
weekend, and an additional 33 people were shot over the
Independence Day weekend.
Johnson also discussed the migrant surge in the city and
reaffirmed his stance on keeping Chicago's sanctuary status,
meaning officials won't enforce federal immigration law.
Just this week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the
city would no longer be taking migrants due to already having a
significant amount of people there and a lack of resources.
Johnson said Chicago will remain open for those who wish to be
here.
"Here's what I am committed to doing, honoring the law of being
a sanctuary city and building systems of care that provide a
pathway with dignity for individuals who are seeking refuge here
in the city of Chicago," Johnson said.
As a result, Chicago and the state of Illinois are caring for
about 12,000 additional migrants since this time last year. City
and state taxpayers have set aside $94 million for migrant
housing, with the state budgeting $550 million to subsidize the
health care of migrants over the age of 65.
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