Chicago City Council fails to override mayor's 'snap' curfew veto
Story by Carolina Garibay
Mayor Brandon Johnson addresses reporters at City Hall on Wednesday, July 16, ahead of a City Council meeting to discuss why he vetoed a
Mayor Brandon Johnson officially vetoed the controversial "snap" curfew ordinance at Wednesday's City Council meeting.
The City Council failed to override the Mayor's veto with a 27 to 22 vote.
The measure would have granted Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling the power to declare a curfew anywhere in the city with just 30 minutes' notice.
Mayor Johnson addressed reporters at City Hall Wednesday morning ahead of the meeting.
"I decided to veto this measure because it would be counterproductive to the progress of reducing crime and violence in our beloved city," he said.
He said allowing this ordinance would be "playing into the political theater of safety."
"There is no study that we have seen, or frankly anyone in Chicago has seen, that says that these type of measures and curfews will keep young people safe," Johnson said. "In fact, if we were to enact such a thing, we would leave ourselves vulnerable to potential and costly lawsuits."
He said instead, the city is working to implement strategies that address the "root causes of crime."
"That means investing in our young people," he said. "That is why this summer, I'm so proud that we will hire 29,000 young people for summer jobs, a 45% increase since taking office. It means engaging our city's young people during our budget roundtable discussion. We must continue to strategically deploy our officers to high crime areas, rather than dictate their time in enacting and enforcing curfews."
Johnson was joined by several aldermen and dozens of community activists, including Juliet De Jesus Alejandre, executive director of Palenque LSNA.
She echoed Johnson's point of prioritizing providing resources to young people and their communities.
"The laws that need to be created, says the research from around the world, are ones that protect children, that will protect their access to health care, mental health services, less guns and alcohol, good schools and recreation programs," she said.
Peace, she said, starts with investments like these that directly serve communities.
"If you want to see peace, then make families thrive," she said. "Non-violence is a product of good public policy. Chicago wants peace in our downtown. We want peace in our communities, and we will not get there with 'snap' curfews."
The veto is Johnson's first of his tenure and the first mayoral veto in Chicago in almost 20 years.