THE TALE OF TWO CITIES

The Mayoral Run-Off is in its final stages. With only fourteen days to go, The Citizen Newspaper wanted to share where the candidates stand on issues of public safety and education.

PUBLIC SAFETY Paul Vallas

According to Paul Vallas’ website, he would rebuild sworn officer staffing from the current 11,710 to the fully appropriated 13,500 level that existed when he was the City of Chicago Budget Director. And, reinstitute a com munity policing model.

Close the door on the demoralizing and delegitimizing “Friends and Family” system of promotions.

Create a city operated Victim/Witness Protection and Services Program that provides the safety and well-being infrastructure needed to encourage the cooperation needed to successfully prosecute offenders.

Rebuild the Detective ranks to 10% overall staffing and supplement the Detectives Divisions with hundreds of retired Police officers to provide support in order to do two things 1) become analysts to aid the clearance rates and (2) assure that witnesses and victims are protected. The victim/witness Detective relationships are critical to successful prosecutions.

Build a Forensic Crime Lab within the Department as exists in other large municipal departments, like NYPD, so that processing and technical analysis of evidence is aligned with Detective Division needs and priorities.

End the overtime initiatives that have Officers from all over the city sitting in their police vehicles for show without performing any police functions that deter anyone. I will ensure that any overtime initiatives are given to the Districts to ensure that only Officers familiar with the District will patrol there.

Brandon Johnson

According to Brandon Johnson’s website, he would train and promote 200 new detectives from the existing ranks. And, establish a new CPD Illegal Guns Department, as well as a new Mayor’s Office of Community Safety.

Launch full CPD Efficiency Audit of the Chicago Police Department to find savings that can be invested into safer streets.

Coordinate with ATF to end pipeline of illegal guns to Chicago, which will establish a more collaborative approach with other levels of government to target gun distributors, and open up a revitalized partnership with the ATF to coordinate efforts on shutting down the flow of illegal guns coming from neighboring states with lax gun laws.

Strengthen enforcement of Red Flag laws; Double down on efforts to take guns away from those deemed too much of a risk to own them, including people with such as those with a record of violent crimes, serious mental health issues, or active restraining orders.

Support the PeaceBook ordinance and violence interrupters and coordinate with organizations with expertise of students who left during COVID and those currently “attending” school in name only by expanding the current alternative school network. And, open “Adult High Schools” for older students that provide education and occupational training.

Empower and trust local communities to know what’s best, by dismantling the central administration and empowering the community through elected Local School Councils.

Systematically identify children at-risk and provide early intervention and support, employing a universal cradle to the classroom strategy, including pre- and postnatal care, social and financial support as well as advocacy to support children who are expectant mothers and the children born of those children.

Expand quality school options by converting failing or under-enrolled schools to open enrollment magnet schools and by empowering the community, through their elected Local School Councils, to select better school models if their school is struggling.

Brandon Johnson

ma-informed remedies to intercommunal gun violence. Expand Support for Victims and Survivors; Enact the Federal Consent Decree; and Publish the arrest and traffic stop demographic data.

Education

Paul Vallas

According to Vallas’ website, he will work with teachers, local school leaders, parents, and anyone who sees the safety and education of our kids as our top priority. And, Restore schools as community anchors with open campuses offering extended day and year services.

Create a high school paid work study program, offered in place of non-essential electives to incentivize students to remain in school, while introducing them to the work world.

Alternative schools and adult education & occupational training centers, which will reclaim the thousands

According to Johnson’s website, he believes building sustainable community schools alongside quality affordable housing can reverse the trend of mass school closures of Black and Latinx schools. Expand the Sustainable Community Schools model to the City Colleges of Chicago, and connect it to a vision of healthy, green and anti-racist curricula beyond K-12.

Green Schools Facilities Plan, with drastic improvements to CPS buildings, including the need to replace outdated and ineffective heating and cooling systems, improve ventilation and insulation, and remediate asbestos, lead, and mold that pose a risk to students and staff.

Treating Student and Family Trauma; Making public transit free for all Chicago Public School students; Special Education Services for Families and Communities; and Making Every School a Sustainable Community School.

Addressing Under-Enrollment and Under-Utilization Small schools, by making more creative use of excess space in small schools rather than closing them, by co-locating revenue-generating facilities such as childcare and health clinics.

Youth Employment and Educator Apprenticeship Pipelines, in conjunction with private sector and city sister agencies, is the type of transformative, meaningful and engaging opportunity that sustains itself with the reduction of violence, trauma and interactions with law enforcement.