Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker declared gun violence a public health crisis and pledged $250 million to communities affected the most as another ferocious week in Chicago gains national attention.
ABC 7 News reports at least 26 people were shot, six fatally, in weekend shootings across the city. With victims aged 15 to 56 and an upsurge in the number of people attacked the prior week, gun violence shows no sign of deceleration. Violence is also making its rounds on and near surrounding campuses in the city. In August, Loyola Phoenix reported that a man was shot and killed a mile away from Loyola University.
There have been three crime advisories in the past few days. Columbia College Chicago released a crime advisory on Nov. 1 after an incident inside a sandwich shop on 630 S. Clark St., close by the campus. Weeks before, another crime advisory urged students to remain alert and travel in groups as the Chicago Police Department investigated a shooting near campus. Several high school students fell victim to gun violence steps away from Chicago Public Schools grounds. Chicago community leaders and students have a history of calling for peace in the city.
In a press release on Nov. 1, Gov. Pritzker unveiled the Reimagine Public Safety plan, and was joined by legislators, stakeholders and community leaders. The data-driven and community-based initiative will focus on violence prevention, youth development and trauma-based services. "Every neighborhood and every home deserve to be free from violence, and the State of Illinois is making an unprecedented statewide investment in the pursuit of violence reduction through the Reimagine Public Safety Act," Pritzker said.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is among the many who support the governor's plan. "History will judge each of us on what we are doing today to stop the violence and bloodshed," Preckwinkle stated in the press release. "This new violence prevention plan is the result of a great deal of collaboration and coordination between the State of Illinois, Cook County and the City of Chicago."
The plan comes just as the topic of police shortages made headlines due to COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Newsweek reports the matter would prompt suburban agencies to provide backup in an emergency like a plane crash or tornado. However, Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain said he would not send any personnel to Chicago unless an officer was in "direct duress." WBEZ Chicago reports that a judge has since suspended the vaccine mandate for Chicago police officers after police unions sued over the requirement. The ruling was a victory for police unions, as the union boss urged cops to continue to defy the city's mandate. Police officers also faced time-off restrictions amid their public feud with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot over vaccination requirements.
It's no secret that on-campus violence is always a hot-button topic we all have to give credence to as prospective students consider different institutions in which to live and learn. What Gov. Pritzker is doing is extremely necessary, and I think other states could learn so much from it. When people are irresponsible with firearms, they must be dealt with in the harshest of ways to help quell that dangerous behavior in the future. Here's to a future where these funds are appropriately allocated, and where we can begin to experience a peaceful future in the city of Chicago.
Blavity U Ambassador Lashaunta Moore is a Graduate student at Columbia College Chicago, studying entrepreneurship for creatives. With a bachelor's degree in media communication, she's also a freelance journalist and digital content producer who enjoys writing about all forms of news.
