Billionaire vows to make Chicago 'the safest city in America' by pumping millions into the poor neighborhoods to reduce annual homicides to under 400 - down from last year's staggering 700 murders

Daily Mail ^ | 6/02/23 | Noa Halff

[Libloather]

Chicago's wealthiest citizens are investing millions in its poorest neighborhoods in an attempt to help solve the city's spiraling crime crisis.

Billionaire businessman James Crown, who leads the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, has made it his goal to make Chicago 'the Safest Big City in America.'

The tycoon, whose family was ranked the 34th richest in America by Forbes in 2020 with an estimated worth of $10.2 billion, plans to leverage his national influence and work with other businessmen to combat crime in the murder capitol of the U.S.

Crown introduced his crime-fighting plan Thursday, announcing his goal of reducing the number of killings in Chicago to fewer than 400 a year within five years.

The Civic Committee spent six months researching and interviewing—collaborating with city leaders such as former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, former Chicago Police Supt. David Brown, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, and more.

The strategy the committee focused on included job creation in high-risk areas, substantial funding for violence intervention programs, bolstering law enforcement agencies, and investing in disadvantaged communities.

The Civic Committee is a group made up of senior executives of Chicago's most prominent businesses. Some of the wealthiest residents are joining their resources together to combat crime.

'Historically, the Civic Committee has not been involved in public safety matters,' Crown said to Chicago Sun Times on Wednesday. 'I gotta say this with real humility: We're late to the conversation. We're late to the understanding of some of these things.'

'You've got altruism,' Crown said. 'But you've also got the enlightened self-interest of: I want to be safe, I want my workers to come to work, I want the tourists to patronize my business, whatever that might be.'

[alexander_busek]

I would invest in a foster-father program that would put dad’s into every single-family home.

I'm guessing that the majority of the men volunteering to "foster" troubled youths would not be of the, ahem, correct demographic.

So: How RAY-CIST of you!

Regards,

[depressed in 06]

I think he should give it to me, it will do as much good.

[SaraJohnson]

It’s a spiritual and mental health problem. He won’t go the mental health route (politically incorrect) and money can’t buy off evil.

[euram]

James Schine Crown (born June 25, 1953) is an American businessman and heir. He is president of Henry Crown and Company, a family investment company. He is a director of JPMorgan Chase & Co., General Dynamics and Sara Lee. He is also the managing partner of the Aspen Skiing Company.

Crown was born the son of Renée (née Schine) and Lester Crown. His mother is the sister of producer G. David Schine and the daughter of theater and hotel magnate, Junius Myer Schine. His grandfather is Chicago industrialist Henry Crown. His sister is Susan Crown.

[usconservative]

He must be facing a federal indictment of some sorts?

Nope, he's just a liberal loon trying to get other liberal loons in Chicago to waste their money trying to make Chicago "safer" ...

It will fail. SPECTACULARLY.

Chicago's skyrocketing crime rate is precisely why Ken Griffin of Citadel moved his company out of the city and to Florida. (Good riddance to Griffin after trying to get a RINO elected governor of this state.)

[usconservative]

The Civic Committee is a group made up of senior executives of Chicago's most prominent businesses. Some of the wealthiest residents are joining their resources together to combat crime.

I will tell you all *exactly* why they're doing this:

To protect their own assets.

All these senior executives of Chicago's most prominent businesses are facing big backlash from employees and return-to-office mandates.

There's a HUGE amount of under-utilized/empty office space downtown Chicago as a result. Entire office buildings are empty and looking to convert to condo's. (Not sure why: people who don't want to work downtown also don't want to LIVE downtown!)

The amount of money in REIT's is in the hundreds of billions and a failure here would rival the banking collapse's effects on our economy.

So they're trying to save their own asses here: get crime down and maybe people will want to return to the city to work. Uh, no. Not happening.

[ChildOfThe60s]

Putting toothpaste back in the tube.

Allowing the city to devolve into hellhole was easy and took no skill, leadership, ingenuity, commitment or intelligence.

Reversing things is a monumental task requiring all of that in massive amounts. There is none at all.