Posted on 05/25/2024 7:57:40 AM PDT by Salman
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The holiday has historically marked a spike of street violence in the city, lasting throughout the summer. Though Chicago violence has decreased in recent years, dozens were shot over the last Memorial Day weekend.
“I will not rest and my administration will not rest until we tackle this problem and stop the violence,” Johnson said at a news conference inside the Chicago Cultural Center.
Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said the department will put additional officers on the street by canceling certain days off and adding overtime hours, but he said that the effort would be “strategic” and “deliberate.” The practice has drawn scrutiny in years past.
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Officials also encouraged parents to be watchful of their children once school lets out. It was unclear if Johnson planned to implement a youth curfew downtown, a tactic employed over the past two summers. In May 2022, a 16-year-old was fatally shot near the Bean, leading to a temporary ban on unaccompanied minors in the Millennium Park after 6 p.m.
“There are ongoing conversations around how we create safe spaces, as well as time for our young people,” Johnson said. “We have to make sure that we’re keeping people safe, but we also have to make sure that we’re not placing restrictions that ultimately lead to a deeper level of frustration that could manifest in another part of the city.”
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(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
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