Mayor: No shortcut to better place

By Kevin Beese Staff Reporter

Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks from her office Tuesday night (June 2) about police reforms and funds for businesses damaged in the recent rioting. (Facebook screenshot)

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Tuesday night (June 2) that the city will institute immediate police reforms and provide money to business harmed in the rioting.

In a state of the city address after days of civil unrest in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis at the hands of a police officer, Lightfoot said that residents will have a role in police training, police officers will get a “real” officer wellness program with support and counseling, and crisis intervention training will be mandated for all officers.

She said the changes would be implemented within 90 days.

“This is just a start, not the end of our journey for police reform and accountability,” Lightfoot said.

The mayor said bringing the community into the police classroom “means training for district law enforcement on the history of neighborhoods taught from the perspective of community members.”

Lightfoot said expanding programs like My Block, My Hood, My City, which provides youth-led tours of neighborhoods, will help “officers understand the history of the people they are required to serve and protect.”

She said help for officers’ wellness will come through support for individuals in crisis, an improved peer support program and counselors for those in need.

“We all know hurt people hurt people,” Lightfoot said. “Our officers must have better tools to manage the trauma and stress they see every day.”

The mayor said crisis intervention and procedural justice training will be required for all Chicago police officers. She said the training would provide “real tools for officers and community members to de-escalate challenging situations.”

She said the city’s Police Department will also establish a recruit program on police-community relations and community policing with views from the community about what works.

Lightfoot said the city would also dedicate at least $10 million to help businesses recover from the riots.

“That means funds for small businesses that have been hit hard recently, but that have always been neglected,” the mayor said. “So, we will continue working to isolate grant funds to support those businesses that have suffered most and need to recover.”

Lightfoot said the business funds would be provided city-wide, but with an equity weighting that focuses on the South and West sides.

The mayor said she would also use every tool at her disposal to push insurance companies to do the right thing by their business customers.

“Now is the time to cut through red tape, stop hiding behind small print, get your adjusters out into the neighborhoods and start cutting checks,” Lightfoot said.

The mayor said the city will rebuild not just its building, but its race relations as well.

“So, we will clean up these broken windows, but we can’t stop there,” she said. “We must also clean up and repair our broken systems. Not just by ending the violence we’ve seen here, but by reimagining our city, and what our city means for every neighborhood and every community.

“Because as we repair this damage, as we mend these broken windows, and clean our streets, we have an opportunity to ensure that we do the same for those wounds that are not immediately visible, for the harm that has been done over many generations, and for the cracks in our society that we have ignored.

“We can do this, and we will do this. This is a start, not an end. Much more needs to be done. But I am committed, and I need you to be with me.”

kbeese@chronicleillinois.com