Mayor Lightfoot meets with New York City Mayor Eric Adams in search of solutions to crime
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Overall crime in Chicago is up 34 percent so far this year – in particular with motor vehicle thefts, an issue we've been covering for months, up 44 percent.
Robberies - another crime we've been monitoring – are up 10 percent.
On Friday afternoon, Mayor Lori Lightfoot met with New York City Mayor Eric Adams in a search for solutions.
Mayor Adams was inaugurated on New Year's Day. He is a former Brooklyn Borough president, New York State senator, and New York City police officer. Friday marked his first visit to Chicago as mayor.
While Adams is newly elected, Mayor Lightfoot's first term in office ends next year. But crime in Chicago and New York is dominating headlines for both mayors.
Adams and Lightfoot met for about 45 minutes at City Hall Friday to discuss strategies for community safety. The big questions are what Lightfoot can take from Adams, and vice versa, to tackle the uptick in violent crimes.
On Thursday night, an 11-year-old boy was among four people shot at Monroe Street and Kildare Avenue in West Garfield Park. Chicago Police said the incident was a drive-by.
This past Sunday, seven people were injured in a mass shooting at 79th Street and Exchange Avenue in South Chicago.
The two mayors believe this type of gun violence is the bigger problem overall – saying the guns are disproportionately coming into disadvantaged communities.
"The mayor and I are clear – we are not going to remain silent," Adams said. "We're not going to pretend as though there are some conscious failures that are taking place."
"We've got to do more to make sure that we intervene in a proactive way to provide support and love to these young people at the earliest possible stage in life," added Mayor Lightfoot.
The two mayors say they really want to get on how the guns are getting into the communities of Chicago and New York City. They are asking for additional help from the federal government.
"We need help. Cities like Chicago and New York – we need help. How do you take 12,000 guns off the street, and there's 10,000 more waiting – 10 times that amount waiting – to come back?" Adams said. "It's not acceptable."
But there was nothing specific discussed in terms of policy. The theme was prevention and intervention to tackle what both mayors believe to be an uptick in crime.