Community Safety & Violence Reduction - Chicago's mayor prioritizes community safety and aims to reduce violence through various initiatives [1] - The city has increased youth employment by over 50% [2] - Chicago is expanding mental and behavioral healthcare services and building more affordable housing [3] - The city's police department has a clearance rate of nearly 77% in bringing people to justice [4] - Over 170 guns, many with switches to convert them into machine guns, were recently taken off Chicago streets [5] Federal Government & Policy - The mayor criticizes the President for cutting over $800 million from violence prevention programs [4] - The President allegedly cut the ATF budget by nearly 30% [4][13] - The mayor accuses the President of declaring war on poor people [19] - The mayor believes the President's actions are a distraction from his failures [20] - The federal courts have affirmed the mayor's executive order, deeming the President's actions illegal and unconstitutional [9]

And joining us now, Father Michael Fleger. He's been the pastor at St. Sabina Church in the south side of Chicago for over 30 years. Father, thank you for being with us. You were with Governor Pritsker at his news conference yesterday where he warned the president is not to send the National Guard troops to Chicago. What are you hearing from members of your community about all this? >> Um, absolutely, Anna, do not want them here. Um, we do not want to walk out on our streets. We have communities that are al ...

Crime Reduction & Public Safety - Chicago has seen a 32% reduction in homicides, almost a 40% reduction in shootings and shooting victims, nearly a 35% reduction in robberies, and almost a 50% reduction in carjackings [3][25] - The city's detective bureau has revamped, leading to a clearance rate of almost 77% [11] - Coordination between the ATF and Chicago police led to the removal of over 150 guns trafficked from Mississippi and Indiana [20] Investment & Resource Allocation - The mayor claims the federal government took away over $800 million from violence prevention efforts [6] - The city hired 31,119 young people for youth employment programs during the summer [10] - Over $20 billion of new investments have been made in Chicago since the mayor took office [25] Social Programs & Community Support - The city is investing in Community Violence Intervention (CVI) workers and youth employment [9] - Three mental health clinics have been reopened, and mental health crisis workers have been expanded throughout the city [10] - The city aims to build over 10,000 affordable housing units by the end of the mayor's first term [25] City Development & Vision - Chicago's population grew last year for the first time in over a decade [25] - The mayor's vision is to build the safest, most affordable big city in America [25] - Rent in Chicago is roughly $1,200, and the city is working to lower it [24][25]