>>> AS AMERICA CONTINUES TO Its got to be Tide.
>>> AS AMERICA CONTINUES TO
CONFRONT RACIAL IN EQUITY, THIS
WEEK CHICAGO MAYOR LORI
LIGHTFOOT DECLARED RACISM A
PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS AND PLEDGED
NEARLY $10 MILLION IN COVID
RELIEF MONEY TO FIGHT IT.
ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY BY THE
CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC
HEALTH, BLACK RISK IDENTIFIES IN
THE WINDY CITY HAVE A LIFE
EXPECTANCY NINE YEARS SHORTER
THAN NON-BLACK CHICAGOANS.
JOINING ME NOW IS THE MAYOR OF
CHICAGO HERSELF, LORI LIGHTFOOT.
MAYOR LIGHTFOOT, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH FOR COMING TO THE SUNDAY
SHOW.
>> MY PLEASURE.
AND HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO
EVERYONE.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
SO, MAYOR LIGHTFOOT, YOURE
CALLING SYSTEMIC RACISM A PUBLIC
CRISIS IS NO SURPRISE TO ME
BECAUSE IN THE CONVERSATIONS
WEVE HAD OVER THESE YEARS, YOU
HAVE SAID THAT FLAT-OUT.
BUT THIS DECLARATION MAKES IT
OFFICIAL.
TALK ABOUT WHY YOU FEEL SO
STRONGLY THAT THIS DECLARATION
BE MADE.
>> WELL, JONATHAN, I THINK ONE
OF THE BIG NARRATIVES COMING OUT
OF THE PANDEMIC IS THAT THE COST
AND CONSEQUENCE OF IN EQUITY AND
IN JUSTICE SIMPLY CAN NO LONGER
BE IGNORED.
YOURE RIGHT, WE HAVE KNOWN THAT
RACISM IS A PUBLIC HEALTH
CRISIS.
I THINK NAMING IT AND SAYING IT
GIVES US THE OPPORTUNITY TO
ADDRESS IT ONCE AND FOR ALL.
THE CONSEQUENCE OF THIS, THE
LIFE EXPECTANCY GAPS, ABSENSECE
HIGH QUALITY HEALTH CARE BY SO
MANY RESIDENTS, GUN VIOLENCE,
ROOT CAUSES, YOU CAN TRACE A LOT
OF THAT TO RACISM, SYSTEMIC
POVERTY, ALL THOSE OTHER
CONSEQUENCES.
SO NAMING IT AND MAKING IT AN
OFFICIAL DECLARATION OF THE CITY
GIVES US TO HAVE A CHANCE TO
HAVE THE CONVERSATION AND
ADDRESS ROOT CAUSES.
>> WE HAVE A BUNCH OF STATISTICS
WE CAN SHOW FROM THE CONTROL
ROOM.
LETS START AT THE FIRST ONE.
OPIOID DEATHS AMONG BLACKS IN
CHICAGO IS THREE TIMES THE RATE
OF NON-BLACKS.
WE GO TO HIV.
BLACKS ACCOUNT FOR HALF OF THE
PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV.
NOW LETS GO TO GUN VIOLENCE.
2020 VERSUS 2021, AS YOU SEE
THERE -- IM SORRY, WE DONT
HAVE IT, BUT 5% HOMICIDE, 17%
SHOOTINGS.
BUT THE KEY THING HERE IN THE
REPORT THAT YOU PUT OUT,
HOMICIDE IS THE NUMBER 5 CAUSE
OF DEATH, LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH
AMONG ALL BLACKS IN CHICAGO, AND
NUMBER 3, HOMICIDE, NUMBER 3 FOR
BLACK MALES.
GUN VIOLENCE IN CHICAGO HAS BEEN
SOMETHING WE HAVE BEEN TALKING
ABOUT AND FRETTING ABOUT FOR
YEARS NOW.
WHY IS IT SO HARD TO GET A
HANDLE ON THE GUN PROBLEM IN
CHICAGO?
>> I MEAN, I THINK THERE ARE A
NUMBER OF REASONS.
EXCUSE ME.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, WERE
SURROUNDED BY STATES THAT HAVE
EXTRAORDINARILY LAX GUN LAWS.
WEVE BEEN CALLING ON THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO DO WHAT IS
NECESSARY TO HAVE
MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL GUN
TRAFFICKING
TRAFFICKING TASK FORCES.
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TAKES MORE
GUNS OFF THE STREET THAN L.A. OR
NEW YORK COMBINED YEAR AFTER
YEAR AFTER YEAR.
WE CANT STOP THE FLOW OF
ILLEGAL GUNS INTO OUR CITY
WITHOUT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS
SUPPORT.
BUT GOING BACK TO THE ROOT
CAUSES, TOO MANY OF OUR YOUNG
MEN BELIEVE THAT THEIR DESTINY
IS PURE GAIN, THAT THEY HAVE NO
FUTURE, NO HOPE.
WHAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THE
LAST TWO YEARS AND WILL CONTINUE
THIS WORK POST-PANDEMIC IS
BUILDING THAT VILLAGE OF SUPPORT
AMONG YOUNG BLACK AND BROWN
MALES TO LET THEM KNOW THAT
THEIR FUTURE IS LIMITLESS IF
THEY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE
OPPORTUNITIES IN FRONT OF THEM.
AND WEVE GOT TO CONTINUE TO
CREATE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
BUT WHERE YOU SEE THIS VIOLENCE
RAGING IN CERTAIN NEIGHBORHOODS,
ITS WHERE THERE IS SYSTEMIC
RACISM, POVERTY, AND A LACK OF
HOPE AND DESPERATION.
THATS REALLY AT THE ROOT CAUSE
OF A LOT OF THIS VIOLENCE.
TOO MANY OF OUR YOUNG MEN DO NOT
BELIEVE THAT THE FUTURE LIES IN
EDUCATION, IN CAREER.
THEY THINK ITS JAIL, EARLY
DEATH, OR MINDING SOMEBODY
ELSES CORNER SPOT.
WE HAVE TO DISRUPT THOSE SYSTEMS
AND REPLACE THEM WITH POSITIVE
PRODUCTIVE ACTIVITIES FOR OUR
YOUNG MEN.
>> MAYOR LIGHTFOOT, I HEAR WHAT
YOURE SAYING, AND IT ALL MAKES
SENSE AND IT IS TRUE AND IT IS A
LONG-TERM PROJECT THAT YOURE
TALKING ABOUT.
BUT WHAT DO YOU SAY TO FOLKS IN
CHICAGO FOR WHOM HOMICIDES AND
GUN VIOLENCE IS AN IMMEDIATE
THING?
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO CHICAGOANS
WHO ARE LOOKING FOR YOU AND YOUR
ADMINISTRATION TO DO MORE?
>> WE ARE DOING MORE.
WE HAVE BEEN VERY FOCUSED ON 15
AREAS OF OUR CITY THAT DRIVE
OVER 30% OF THE VIOLENCE.
WE ARE PRESENT IN THOSE
COMMUNITIES BOTH WITH LAW
ENFORCEMENT, OF COURSE, BUT ALSO
WITH USING OUR SOFT POWER, OUR
LIBRARIES, OUR PARKS, OUR
SCHOOLS, OUR AFTER-SCHOOL
PROGRAMS, OUR COMMUNITY
ORGANIZATIONS, REALLY COMING
TOGETHER AND FOCUSING, USING
DATA TO BE LITERALLY ON A BLOCK
BY BLOCK BASIS AND WERE
STARTING TO SEE SOME TRACTION.
AGAIN, I DONT WANT TO TAKE A
VICTORY LAP BECAUSE WERE FAR
FROM WHERE WE ARE.
BUT WERE SEEING A DOWN TREND
FROM JUNE OVER JUNE LAST YEAR.
WERE SEEING A DOWNTURN
CERTAINLY IN MAY IN HOMICIDES
AND SHOOTINGS.
SOME OF THE AREAS IN THE CITY
MOST PLAGUED BY GUN VIOLENCE.
TO BE CLEAR, THE VIOLENCE WERE
SEEING IN CHICAGO, THE UPTICK,
SAME IN NEW YORK AND LOS ANGELES
AND OTHER PLACES ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.
WE ARE ALL SUFFERING AND WEVE
ALL GOT TO HAVE A WHOLE OF
GOVERNMENT, WHOLE OF COMMUNITY
APPROACH, OTHERWISE WERE NOT
GOING TO MAKE MEASURABLE
DIFFERENCE.
BUT AGAIN, YES, WE HAVE TO DEAL
WITH THE IMMEDIATE FOR SURE, BUT
WE WILL NEVER GET BEYOND THIS IF
WE DONT PLANT THE SEEDS NOW FOR
THE LONG-TERM PROBLEMS.
THAT IS A WHAT WE HAVE TO DO,
BE IMMEDIATE, BE PRESENT AND
MAKE SURE WE ARE HOLDING THOSE
ACCOUNTABLE WHO ARE DRIVING THE
VIOLENCE, BUT WEVE GOT TO GET
AT THE ROOT CAUSES SO WE CAN
TURN THE PAGE FROM THIS VIOLENCE
BECAUSE OUR YOUNG PEOPLE ARE
MOVING AT A DIFFERENT DIRECTION.