In a show of tremendous support from the city's business community and philanthropic community, officials announced Thursday that $66 million has been raised toward a $100 million goal for Chicago's crime-fighting efforts.
Scaling Community Violence Interventions for a Safer Chicago (SC2) was developed as a plan to strengthen the work of community violence intervention groups. Many Chicago corporations and major foundations are participating, including the Pritzker Foundation, Hyatt Hotel Foundation, and Crown Family Philanthropies.
The event at the South Shore Cultural Center also featured the billionaire heir to the Hyatt fortune, Governor J.B. Pritzker, and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who spoke about progress in supporting youth across the city and further improving the current situation. He talked about his ambitious goals. Next 10 years.
“SC2 will take this work further. Escalation of community violence
Chicago's unprecedented push for safer interventions
Government officials, local organizations, and the private sector
Stakeholders need to work together to meet the needs of those most at risk from gun violence. ”
Pritzker said. “This was built over many years, and it wasn’t like any other city.”
Or that any state in this country has a partnership as strong as this one. ”
Community violence intervention groups also plan to seek additional public funding. At Thursday's event, city, county and state officials expressed support for SC2 and touted the passage of legislation that would reimagine the Public Safety Act and create the State Firearm Violence Prevention Office.
Homicides have declined in the city for the second year in a row, but Thursday's announcement comes after a shooting on the North Side Wednesday afternoon left one Senn High School student dead and two others injured. It was about. The shooting occurred less than a week after two teens were shot and killed after leaving a high school in the Loop.
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling was not scheduled to speak to the crowd, but he took to the stage before Johnson to emphasize the importance of early intervention to prevent such mass shootings.
“As police, we cannot and should not try to make arrests to get out of this situation,” Snelling said. “What we need to do is build community and raise our children.”
Thursday's organizers said 15% to 20% of people most at risk of committing a shooting or being shot are served by community violence intervention groups. The SC2 initiative sets out ambitious targets, increasing support levels to 50% of those most at risk over the next five years and 75% over the next 10 years, by focusing on specific regions. We aim to increase the Details regarding how the funds will be used have not been disclosed.
Vaughn Bryant, executive director of the Capital Region Peace Initiative, and Arne Duncan, who founded the violence prevention group Chicago CRED, are part of the steering committee for the SC2 effort. Duncan said neighborhood leadership is essential to the program's success.
Since 2022, while Neighborhood Collaboration has been providing assistance within the North Lawndale community, SC2 will provide assistance in high-need communities in East and West Garfield Park, Little Village, Humboldt Park, New City, Englewood, and Austin. Also covered.
The expansion is expected to cost up to $400 million over the next five years, half of which is currently coming from philanthropic and public funds.
Among other speakers Thursday were Mark Hopramajian, president and CEO of Hyatt Hotels, and BMO Harris Vice Chairman Eric Smith, co-chair of the Citizens Committee's Public Safety Committee. Mr. was included. Executives emphasized an approach in which businesses, philanthropy and community groups work together with government on public safety efforts.
