Chicago Mayor Johnson answers wide range of questions as part of ABC7 town hall
CHICAGO (WLS) -- ABC7 Chicago, Chicago's most-watched television station, presented live and with limited commercials the ABC7 Mayoral Town Hall Tuesday.
ABC7 Chicago anchors Judy Hsu and Terrell Brown led the 60-minute town hall, with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson answering a wide-range of questions submitted by numerous community organizations. The station's political reporter Craig Wall facilitated the conversation between Mayor Johnson and the members of those groups who were in the audience.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
"On behalf of ABC7, we appreciate Mayor Johnson taking the time to answer questions from the community. Creating space for real conversations is important to all Chicagoans and is central to our mission of serving our viewers," said John Idler, ABC7 Chicago president and general manager.
"I value the opportunity to speak directly with Chicagoans, answer their questions and hear their concerns to gain a firsthand sense of how the city can better support and uplift all of our residents," Mayor Brandon Johnson said. "I want to thank ABC7 for organizing this conversation and creating a space for constructive engagement as we come together to build Chicago into the safest, most affordable big city in America."
Mayor Johnson addressed the weekend shooting that killed one Chicago police officer and critically wounded another, as well as what the city is doing to address large teen gatherings. But he also fielded questions about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and the failed millionaires tax.
"Well, first of all, you know, I'm going to continue to ask that the city of Chicago continue to pray for the Bartholomew family," Johnson said.
Officer John Bartholomew was killed in the shooting Saturday. His partner was critically injured.
But with questions about why the suspect, Alphonso Talley, a seven-time felon who escaped electronic monitoring, was still on the street, the mayor conceded there may need to be changes in the system.
"I've always said that our system is in constant need of reform, you know. Again, what I'm going to do is focus on the things that I can control now. Of course we should always advocate for state law to ensure that we're maximizing safety," Johnson said.
Mayor Brandon Johnson reiterated his commitment to public safety.
"I don't know all the circumstances around his priors, but what I can say is that protecting the people of Chicago is and will always remain my top priority," Johnson said.
After a recent inspector general's report indicated Chicago has $8 billion in outstanding debt, the mayor reaffirmed his commitment to try and collect it.
"Well, I mean, listen, I put forth a budget to do just that. Right? I mean, I would not have put forth that budget to create more tools and to have more positions so that we can collect that debt, if I didn't think it was possible," Johnson said.
As for large teen gatherings that have turned destructive, the mayor said police are managing to prevent most of them before they happen.
"In fact, we took one step further. There was a young person who was calling for these gatherings and these trends. We hired that young person, and now that young person is working with us to create safer spaces so that young people don't feel that their only form of entertainment is reckless and dangerous behavior," Johnson said.
But with those teen trends, the mayor said there does need to be accountability for those who break the law, but providing more opportunities for young people can help give them more positive options for what to do.
The mayor expressed disappointment that the Illinois House declined to take up the so-called millionaires tax that Johnson had supported.
"I'm going to continue to work with the speaker of the House. I'm glad that I have his support and many members of the General Assembly to ensure that whether it's a millionaires tax, whether it's, you know, a digital ad tax, whether it's a progressive income tax, we cannot continue to balance budgets off the backs of working people," Johnson said.
Johnson was asked if police will be directed to protect members of the immigrant community from ICE agents who violate local laws.
"You know, as far as a direct order to protect the immigrant community and all of our communities, that is the responsibility and of our local police department is to ensure that we are keeping our community safe," Johnson said.
Johnson also addressed concerns about hate crimes in Chicago, saying hate has no place in Chicago, whatever the motivation is.
And he noted that the number of Chicagoans who could be impacted by a loss of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits is significantly lower than original projections.
The ABC7 Mayoral Town Hall was broadcast live on ABC7 and streamed live on ABC7Chicago.com, on ABC7 Chicago's news app and Facebook page, and on ABC7's 24/7 streaming channels.
