A Letter from Alderman O'Shea

 

Chicago’s public safety crisis threatens our whole city

Chicago cannot continue down this road, with a demoralized and understaffed police department and an under-resourced network of violence prevention groups.

By Alderman Matt O'Shea and Susan Lee  Sep 3, 2021, 12:41pm CDT

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Hundreds of Chicago police officers and other law enforcement officers gather outside St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel during the funeral for Officer Ella French on Aug. 19, 2021. 

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

It is hard to look at the number of shootings and homicides in Chicago over the last 20 months and find a silver lining. By every measure, our city is in crisis and our efforts to keep our communities and our police safe are simply falling short.

One of us is an alderman who serves on the advisory board of the