In a bold move to tackle the persistent issue of violence, Chicago's elite have put their money where their concerns are by pledging $66 million to combat crime. The campaign, coined "Scaling Community Violence Intervention for a Safer Chicago" or SC2, seeks to initially support community violence intervention programs with a target of raising $100 million. Among the heavy hitters are the Pritzker Foundation, the Hyatt Hotel Foundation, and Crown Family Philanthropies, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker was on the scene alongside others, such as Chicago’s new Mayor Brandon Johnson, to throw their support behind the initiative. “This has been years in the making, and no other city or state in the nation has a partnership as robust as this one,” Pritzker told the gathering. The urgency to begin taking action is underscored by recent tragedies, including a shooting that resulted in the death of a local high school student and left two others injured. Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling highlighted the need to urgently intervene early, stating, "As the police, we can’t arrest our way out of the situation, and we shouldn’t be trying to do that. What we should be trying to do is build our communities and build our children," as reported by the Chicago Tribune.
Hotel mogul, Mark Hoplamazian, called for unity in the fight, claiming, “Our goal is to be the safest city in America and to get there, we all have to work together over the long term and strengthen our ongoing partnerships,” as he was quoted by Bloomberg. The combined effort from the city's affluents comes as crime rates have seen a 55% increase since 2019, despite a drop in murders over the last three years.
SC2 plans to not only cut down shootings and homicides by 50% in five years but to aggressively reduce these numbers by 75% in the next decade. Currently, community violence prevention organizations are only able to reach 15% to 20% of those at the highest risk of being involved in a shooting, a number they hope to increase to 75%. Mayor Johnson remains committed to collaboration for the city's safety, stating, “We know that government alone can’t make Chicago safer,” according to Bloomberg. The expansive effort is expected to cost up to $400 million over the next five years, with half of the funds already allocated from philanthropic and public budgets.
