Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson returns to Rainbow PUSH Coalition for 1st time since runoff

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson returned to the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

There was a rousing welcome for the son of a pastor.

"For a moment, I thought I was just elected the next pastor of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition," Johnson said.

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Johnson was endorsed by Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. in March. But, Johnson recalled meeting with Jackson years earlier as labor organizer.

"He just started giving me direction. What I appreciate about that now, and what I didn't understand then, that he saw this day before I saw this day," Johnson said.

The mayor-elect will take control as safety is a concern for many residents. On Friday night, three teens were shot, one fatally, in Chicago.

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Johnson addressed some of the most recent shootings after his meeting on Saturday. His campaign issued a statement about protecting young people, saying, in part, "their safety, and their healing from trauma, will be a priority of my administration from day one and beyond."

On Saturday, Johnson recalled going to Selma with Jackson, honoring the 58th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, a pivotal moment in civil rights history. He also recalled and what Jackson told him then.

"I'll never forget this. He said, 'get to the bridge.' We got the bridge, and now it's time, city of Chicago, that we transform, and we build bridges across this city and across this nation," Johnson said.

All of the speakers, including Johnson, acknowledged the big job ahead for the next mayor of Chicago. Johnson is scheduled to be sworn in one month from Saturday.

Johnson's full statement on recent Chicago violence:

"My heart breaks for the families, which should never have to suffer the pain of a child being shot or lost to gun violence in our city. As a father, what I want for my own children is what I want for every child in Chicago. Their safety, and their healing from trauma, will be a priority of my administration from day one and beyond.

But we will not just protect our children - we will love them, and nurture them, and give every one of them the hope and purpose they deserve."

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