Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Proposes Task Force To Address Crime On Black Women

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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is developing a proposal aimed at addressing the rise in crime and its disproportionate impact on Black women in the city. 

According to CBS News, while Black women make up 16% of Chicago’s population, they represented 30% of crime victims in 2022. In response, Mayor Johnson pledged to create a task force dedicated to exploring solutions. The task force will focus on strategies to enhance safety for Black women and all Chicago residents, workers, and visitors.

Women across the city responded to the news, noting how Johnson’s idea was far overdue. Tonia Thomas, a rape survivor said, she wished that the city showed compassion and care when she was drugged and sexually assaulted at a party in 2021. 

“What happened to me, it won’t go away,” Thomas told CBS News, noting how law enforcement failed to press charges against her assailant. “All they said was just at the time, at this time, and they would not be pressing charges. It was just like, ‘OK, thanks for the report. Thanks for reporting,'” Thomas said. “So, what can we do to get past that step? That’s what this task force should be looking at.”

Thomas hopes that the forthcoming task force works with victims like herself to improve conditions for the city’s Black female residents.

“I feel like they should be listening to the victim,” she added.

A report from the Illinois Policy Institute, released in June, revealed that violent crime in Chicago increased by 7.8% from June 2023 to May 2024 compared to the previous year, with robberies driving much of the surge. In total, residents reported 29,377 violent crimes by May. However, despite the rise in incidents, the arrest rate for these crimes dropped to just 10.8%, the lowest in the past five years. Robberies made up over 37% of all reported violent crimes, while batteries and assaults accounted for an additional 54%.

 

2023 was a tough year for Black women in Chicago. 

According to the Chicago Violence Reduction Dashboard, 2023 saw 13,917 female victims of violent crimes, including assault, battery, criminal sexual assault, robbery, and homicide. It represented a 16% increase over the average number of victims from 2020 to 2023. Hispanic and Latina women experienced notable increases in both homicides and non-fatal shootings in 2023, however, Black women remain the most vulnerable group, with the highest rates of victimization across all racial categories.

Gaby Molden-Carlwell, a trauma therapist at Resilience, a Chicago-based organization supporting victims of sexual violence, emphasized the importance of having individuals with expertise in survivor advocacy on the task force. She recommended that Mayor Johnson include qualified social workers who specialize in issues of violence and crime to ensure a well-informed approach.

“I feel like that task force needs to have not only the police, but social workers, people who are literally in the field, doing the work,” said Molden-Carlwell during an interview with CBS News.

Education and awareness are also crucial, particularly for young children and teens who are at higher risk, Molden-Carlwell added. Early intervention through education can help empower vulnerable groups and equip them with the knowledge to protect themselves.

“It’s teaching them what good touch looks like, what bad touch looks like, what consent looks like,” said Molden-Carlwell. “When we go into these schools, we tell them about programs like Resilience, and how to use their voice, and what secrets look like—because secrets for us, equal danger.”

This isn’t the first time a task force focused on Black women and crime has been proposed.

In February, Pennsylvania Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick teamed up with Illinois Congresswoman Robin L. Kelly (IL-2), Yvette D. Clarke (NY-9), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), and several other officials to re-introduce the bipartisan Protect Black Women and Girls Act. The legislation was first introduced in 2021.

If passed, the bill would create an Interagency Task Force to examine the circumstances and encounters of Black women and girls across various sectors including education, economic development, healthcare, labor and employment, housing, justice, and civil rights. The goal is to advocate for community-driven approaches to alleviate and tackle harm, ensure accountability, and analyze the societal impacts on Black women and girls.

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