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Even with overall reported violent crimes across the city down
in several key areas, a new Harris Poll finds that almost two
out of every three Chicagoans say they are concerned about
public safety in their neighborhood and almost half of those
polled agree that they feel the problem of crime at home is
worse than in other places.
“You can't talk about crime is down, you have to deal with the
reality that crime is still here,” Ford told The Center Square.
“I think that's where sometimes we sort of lose focus on people
and their concerns, when we try to redirect the conversation and
talk about what we want to talk about, that being crime is
down.”
Ford argues all the doom and gloom needs to serve as a further
call to action for lawmakers.
“It's our responsibility in government to do what we have to do
to make people feel safe by making sure that crime is reduced in
their neighborhoods and they feel safe enough to walk the
streets and live their lives,” he added. “If you have a
government that ignores it, I think it's negligent.”
With data showing that robberies, motor vehicle thefts and
sexual assaults were all up in 2023, earlier this year Mayor
Brandon Johnson unveiled his plan for improving public safety in
such neighborhoods as Austin, Englewood, Little Village and West
Garfield Park, arguing socioeconomic and racial disparities in
these communities have greatly added to many of the problems
they face.
Ford shares much of that vision, adding he’s come to believe
many of the problems stem from the same issue.
“What I would love to see more attention placed on is the open
drug market,” he said. “The open drug market I think is the
foundation for crime. I think that the city should do everything
it can to sort of bring some of the tactics that we had for the
[Democratic National] convention as our everyday practice. I
think if we're really going to protect and make people feel
safer, we don't have to have a police state but we have all the
technology that we have.”
As it is, 60% of all residents said they are dissatisfied with
the way the city is handling the crime problem and want to see
leaders doing more to address it. |
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