(The Center Square) – With tens of millions of dollars earmarked to address violent crime through grants and jobs programs, some are calling for total transparency.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the city is spending $100 million on violence prevention, including spending on violence interruption grants.
“You have to have relationships in communities with credible people that can help interact with the neighborhood,” Johnson told reporters Wednesday after an event highlighting the Reimagining Public Safety Act reception in Chicago.
Private dollars are also being pledged for the efforts.
The state budget has $180 million for violence prevention and youth summer jobs programs.
Earlier this week, Johnson blamed what he said was disinvestment from former President Richard Nixon and Republicans who support the gun lobby for violent crime.
Wednesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker also took aim at Republicans he said were responsible for cutting violence intervention programs.
“It’s Republicans that have caused this problem and Republicans don’t want to deal with it,” Pritzker said after Wednesday’s event. “If we hadn’t rebuilt it, the problem would be much worse today. We are making progress.”
State Rep. John Cabello, R-Machesney Park, is also a member of the law enforcement community. He said blaming Republicans for the violence in Chicago is “insane.” It’s Democrats who are in control in Chicago and Cook County and they need to lock criminals up, he said.
“And we must prosecute the people that are committing the violent crimes, that are committing these forcible felonies, that are committing bank robberies and so on and so forth,” Cabello told The Center Square. “And not just saying, ‘oh you had a bad day today, we’ll let you out.’”
Cabello said some of the violence intervention programs are good, but there has to be oversight to make sure that tax dollars don’t turn into a slush fund.
“We have to know where the money is going. We have to see the results. If they don’t do the check marks, all of the checks and balances that the General Assembly needs and wants, then we need to make sure that those people, that those programs are cut out so we can put more money into the programs that do work.”
