Community groups create alternatives to keep Chicago safe during Memorial Day weekend
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Extra police officers will be on patrol as part of Chicago's plan to keep the city calm for Memorial Day weekend.
It's just part of the summer safety program.
As CBS 2's Tara Molina reports, first responders and community groups are working hard with the same goal in mind.
The community was on the court Saturday in Little Village.
"To kind of keep our kids busy, active, around positive adults, around coaches, around mentors," said Benny Estrada, associate director of street outreach with New Life Centers.
He is leading one of many programs going on this weekend in Chicago's neighborhoods.
"We had two shootings last night in the neighborhood," he said. "Two homicides. We are still working on trying to help the families out at this point. But things like that are the reason we need things like this in our neighborhood happening."
For Estrada youth outreach like this is an effort year round, but it is a top priority this summer in the city's summer safety plan.
"As we start to give those resources into our neighborhoods and kids have more options, to be honest with you, I think we are going to see a dramatic decrease in crime across the city," he said.
The city's summer safety plan was announced this week by Mayor Brandon Johnson. Estrada was there as part of one of the groups working with city leaders. They are joined by other community and neighborhood organizations, public safety officials and first responders.
This weekend all hands are on deck for Chicago Police as officers cover the city through Monday, with extra attention on beaches and public spaces following the shooting at North Avenue Beach Friday.
They are joined by the new mobile outreach unit announce by Gov. JB Pritzker. It's a new unit of about 30 people, called "peacekeepers," who are fully trained to handle and de-escalate large group situations. They will work through the city for the weekend as well.
There is a safety focus on public transit, too.
CBS 2 has tracked a decline in violent crime on the CTA since this time last year, but those numbers are still up compared to 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Chicago police said officers are assigned fixed posts on the system this weekend, with increased patrols on platforms, trains and buses. The Strategic Decision Support Center is monitoring the entire system and moving officers when needed.
Estrada's message is that we can all be part of making Chicago better and safer this summer.
"We need to build a safer Chicago together," he said. "Come out. Be a part of it. Volunteer. Whatever that looks like. Even if it's in front of your house. If you're barbecuing this weekend and you see a group of kids and you've got something extra? Feed them. Build the relationships. And watch how far that goes."
Chicago police say they are maintaining a presence across the city -- not just downtown. CPD released the following statement about summer safety:
Additional resources will be deployed across the transit system this Memorial Day weekend. Chicago police officers will be assigned fixed posts and there will be increased patrols on platforms, trains, and buses to ensure residents and visitors can travel safely throughout the city using the CTA.
Throughout the summer, officers will be visible across the system. This is in addition to what our Public Transportation Section regularly does to strengthen safety on the CTA, including holding roll calls, safety drills, and mobilization drills at stations throughout the system.
As always, our Strategic Decision Support Center (SDSC) focusing on the CTA will be monitoring the transit system in real-time to help deploy resources more efficiently. The SDSC room staff also analyzes data and crime patterns that help inform areas of the CTA that require additional focus.