Chicago Mayor touts his achievements leading ‘greatest freaking city in the world’

Mayor Brandon Johnson penned an op-ed for the Chicago Sun Times on Wednesday touting his administration’s accomplishments.

“Chicago needed treatment, not trauma,” Johnson wrote, commemorating a full year since his inauguration in 2023. “That treatment would come by investing in people and in systems of care.”

Johnson, who has spoken about race before, proclaimed that under his leadership, “We reopened the Department of the Environment and have a Cabinet that is 43% Black and 60% women — demographics that are radically different from previous administrations.”

While he said that Chicago stands strong, he claimed “That strength, however, has been tested, as one year ago, we inherited a migrant crisis entering a reckless and wicked phase.”

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“We have cleared women and children from sleeping on airport and police district floors, returned Chicago Park District facilities to communities and cut our shelter population by 50%,” he said, touting his responses to the crisis. “Prior to taking office, we were told the city of Chicago cannot accept any more new arrivals. We responded by taking in more than 30,000.”

He described how drastically the migrant crisis has changed over the past 2 years.

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“Just prior to my administration, between Jan. 1, 2023, and May 12, 2023, there were 11 buses of new arrivals sent to the Chicagoland area,” he wrote. “Since May 12, 2023 — the Friday before my inauguration — there have been 800 buses sent to the Chicago area. Ninety-nine percent of the buses sent to our area since Jan.1, 2023, came after I took office. This is by design. You become a target when you commit to investing in people.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson gives an update on migrant issues at City Hall on Jan. 29, 2024, in Chicago. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

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Johnson said he manages to respond to this crisis “while still making critical investments in affordable housing, mental health and public safety. We are investing more than $100 million into crime prevention and intervention, launching a comprehensive plan to address the root causes of violence in four of the most disinvested communities in our city.” He added, “We are reopening mental health clinics and increasing resources for victims and survivors of crime.”

“I look forward to another year of working with everyone to create safety, unity and prosperity in the greatest freaking city in the world,” he said as he concluded his piece. “Let us go forward, Chicago. Together.”

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Over the past year, Republican governors like Texas’ Greg Abbott have sent buses of incoming asylum seekers to Democrat-controlled states and sanctuary cities in an effort to demonstrate the severity of the crisis border states are facing. 

“He is attacking democratically-run cities, and particularly cities that are being led by Black leaders or leaders-of-color,” Johnson argued in a January interview. “This is unconscionable. I mean, it’s a very raggedy approach. And quite frankly, not only is it reckless and raggedy, but it is evil-spirited.”

While some Democratic leaders have responded to the unprecedented migrant crisis by calling on Biden to secure the border, Mayor Brandon Johnson sparked rage among Black Chicagoans for requesting an additional $70 million in taxpayers’ funds to be spent on tackling the city’s migrant crisis.

“We need that money in my neighborhood, we need that money on my block,” one Black woman wearing a red “Make America Great Again” cowboy hat declared at a City Council meeting amid an effort to recall the mayor. “So I’m asking ya’ll to use our tax money for our people, we need it.”

Chicago has made headline for street takeovers, where a mob of young people engaged in criminal activity ranging from vandalism to assault. While the mayor condemned such activity, he has also been criticized for defending the young people  from criticism. 

“In no way do I condone the destructive activity we saw in the Loop and lakefront this weekend. It is unacceptable and has no place in our city,” Johnson stated in a speech. “However, it is not constructive to demonize youth who have otherwise been starved of opportunities in their own communities.”