Chicago Crime & Gang Violence

Chicago in the past has had its fair share of media scrutiny when it comes to crime, from homicides to carjackings. Most of these incidences occur in the impoverished neighborhoods of the South and Westside.

In the past, we’ve had politicians either turn a blind eye to the increasing crime and gang violence or suggest we use military force (Federally or State) to quell such activities. For this to even occur, the governor of the state would have to declare a State of emergency to have the national guard to step in.

There’s a more reasonable and cost-effective solution to fix Chicago’s crime and gang violence issue. 

To understand why people commit crimes or join a gang, you have to understand Human motivation and need. Most are from broken families, inadequate education and lack of opportunity presented to better oneself.  Instead of using the force of the state militia, giving into fear, or casting people to the side, we should do the following:

  1. Full legalization of Marijuana, no fine for being caught with over 10 grams.
  2. Decriminalization of harder drug substances, but fine individual(s) using them in public $25 to $50 – no jail time. Also, state rehabilitation services should be offered. 
  3. Install “Economic Freedom Zones” in urban areas bringing the small business state tax to 1.5%. More private sector jobs by Illinoisans will be created this way.
  4. Crackdown on illegal firearms (which mainly come from states with little to nonexistent gun regulations), while respecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners who conceal carry in Chicago.
  5. Offer gang members who want a 2nd chance in life by providing them with a means to gain financial stability through a state job or encourage them to join the U.S military or Illinois National guard. Proper training should be provided by instilling discipline and moral structure.
  6. Reprioritize investments into education, healthcare, mental health services, and other community programs to help build up these neighborhoods.
  7. In Illinois, ex-felons have a right to vote. Incarcerated ones do not. Many are unaware of this fact. We need to massively educate and encourage those ex-felons who have proven to turn their lives around to take part in the political process to vote for representatives who will further help fix their community issues.

CPD Liability Insurance Funding & Civilian Police Accountability

  • Mr. Williams believes in maintaining a police force, and is strongly against abolishing such. He also believes that if you’re apart of a union, like most CPD (Chicago Police Department) officers are; they should fund their own liability insurance through union dues instead of the taxpayer footing the bill. It shouldn’t be the obligation of Chicagoan’s  to bail out cop(s) who have been proven guilty of misconduct. It’ll also deter any repeat offenses as well. This isn’t “anti-police”, it’s pro-taxpayer and keeping policing honest. He also favors three-member councils that would be elected for each of the city’s 22 police districts. The councils would hold local meetings and be charged with oversight and improving the rapport of the Chicago police and community, and be responsible to nominate candidates for the citywide commission, to then be appointed by the mayor.

Police Morale & Mental Health

  • Mr. Williams believes to combat an overworked and demoralized Chicago police force that they should be shifted over to a 4-day workweek (12-hour shifts), 3 days off, and one day reserved for mental health wellness. Mr. Williams also believes that there should be mental health clinics in all 22 Chicago police districts.

Police violence against civilians & Cop killers

  • In Mr. Williams opinion, if a law enforcement officer(s) has been tried and found guilty in court of committing an act(s) of homicide involving a civilian who posed no bodily harm, and in regards to penalizing civilian offender(s) who kill law enforcement officer(s) with intent – the minimum prison sentencing for both should be 15-20 years. If the civilian offender is under the age of 18, they’re mentally or physically impaired (in capacity or ability), served as an accessory and had minor involvement in the crime, and/or could not have foreseen their actions causing or creating the risk of death – they should receive a lesser sentence, alternate punishment, rehabilitation, or depending on the circumstances the charges dropped against them entirely.

9-1-1 Scanners Encryption/Decryption

  • Mr. Williams favors all law enforcement radio communications to be open to the public. 

Affordable Housing/Rent Control

  • Mr. Williams favors more affordable housing options. Since 2003, when public funds are given to developers for residential projects, they must include a specific percentage of their units as affordable housing units. (as of 2003, this percentage is 10%-15%). He favors increasing it to 30%-50% and abolishing the option of allowing developers to opt out by paying a fine to bypass making any of their unit’s affordable housing. He also favors the state re-implementing Rent stabilization/control, which was prohibited in Illinois in 1997. With the cost of living skyrocketing, Chicagoan’s are having a tough time paying rent due to high taxation and private employers paying bare minimal wages. The maximum rate that rental properties should be allowed to increase rent annually on new and current tenants single/married (who make under $43,000 yearly) would be at 5.1% – 6.8% ($38-$50)

Property Taxes

  • In regards to Chicago’s high property taxes and its rebate program – all household incomes should be eligible for a refund, and any remaining funds left over should be transferred over to the city’s general account. What the local government doesn’t spend in that fiscal year should carry over to the next. This will reduce its levy and relieve the tax burden on Chicagoan’s. No more property tax increase! As an alternative, implement a Financial Transactions Tax (LaSalle St. Tax) at 0.1% on stocks, bonds, currencies and derivatives to fund the Chicago Teachers, Police and Fire department pensions. Along with considering ward reduction from 50 – 25 (this will save tax payers $12.1 million), term limits for all elected Municipal offices & salary reductions.

Public Bank

  • Mr. Williams supports a Public Bank (modeled after the Bank of North Dakota) which would support the local economy by making loans to small businesses, homeowners and landlords helpful, and fund infrastructure while benefiting from the revenue generated. A Public bank would address lending disparities that affects housing and quality access.

Community First

  • The community will always come first before partisan or special interest. THE PEOPLE will have a voice when it comes those issues affecting them the most.

Protecting our Community

  • When it comes to Chicago’s gun violence, the most reasonable, responsible, and safest solution is, to first get illegal firearms off the streets that come from across state lines. And punish those offenders to the highest degree. We need to also expand and fund counseling/mentoring services along with mental health, cease public school closings in impoverished areas and end the war on drugs.

TIF Distribution

  • Mr. Williams believes that the TIF (Tax Increment Financing) which is increased property tax leftover revenue for public redevelopment programs should be ideally abolished. He also believes it should be used foremost in the most impoverished Chicago neighborhoods (Southwest and Far South TIF districts) before any others. Or the very least, the funds should be equally distributed through out the 50 wards (As of 2017, there are 146 TIF districts. Each ward would get $20-$26 million out of $1.3 Billion) Outside of that, each Alderman is allotted $1,320,000 (out of $66,000,000) annually of “menu money” for infrastructure projects by the Chicago Department of transportation. We can’t have a strong Chicago if we’re not prioritizing to help out the areas that need it the most! 

City Sanitation

  • Enforce littering laws, more disposable containers on every street corner & remove all un-used newspapers vending machines.

Food Waste Management

  • He is in favor of passing legislation to encourage all Chicago supermarkets from wasting and destroying still-edible food before it reaches its best-before or sell-by dates to feed the needy. Left-over meats like Pork, Beef, Lamb, Chicken, Turkey, etc. would be placed in cold storage for safety preservation. This measure would not only combat the 14 million tons of food wasted in Illinois annually (133 billion pounds nationwide) but it also lessens the methane gas released into the atmosphere as it rots, which contributes to Earth’s warming. We also need to disinvested any current municipal funds towards fossil fuels.  

Expansion of Disabled Friendly Accommodations

  • Under Federal law, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), requires most businesses and facilities to provide reasonable access and accommodation for all disabled customers, clients, and members of the public. Constructed facilities, first occupied on or after January 26, 1993, MUST meet or exceed the minimum requirements of the ADA Standards for Accessible Design. Alterations to facilities, spaces or elements (including renovations) on or after January 26, 1992, also must comply with the Standards. As Alderman, Mr. Williams would draft, push and vote for an ordinance that would expand the ADA locally making sure that disabled-friendly accommodations are present in elevators and stairwell hallways of all buildings and condos through out the city.

Upgrade All City Dog Parks

  • Instead of a fenced-off area with grass and mud, Mr. Williams favors adding playground equipment and a water fountain for the pets to enjoy themselves. Along with adding Pet safe grass which will eliminate dirt and mud from getting on your pets, and they’ll be free of fleas, ticks and odors. 

Chicago City Stickers & Parking Issues

  • Mr. Williams favors measures, if proposed by the Office of the city clerk (treasurer) to lower the cost of all vehicle city stickers, late fees, Senior citizen discounts & citations by $15-$18 less than what it is currently. The same would apply for parking violations being lowered to $5-$10 less as well. Doing so, would relieve the debt of low income motorists. In Chicago, there is a lot of unused land that could be put to beneficial use. The lack of parking, people rudely two-space parking and taxi cabs illegally parked is a constant complaint. To alleviate that, besides implementing permit parking, one of the two proposals may work (as long as there’s no current construction contract pending, realty agency approval and zoning ordinance allows)

Red light cameras

  • They should remain in school zones and major intersections, but removed from blighted neighborhoods as keeping them there put its residents into further financial debt.

Combating Homelessness

  • The 2023 PIT (Point-in-Time) Count estimated a total of 6,139 people (out of 2.7 Million) experiencing homelessness in Chicago (as of 2024). You would think that this still shouldn’t be a problem in a city such as Chicago in the 21st-century. Time after time, we’ve had politicians prioritize spending on wasteful projects before the welfare of those who are less fortunate and seeking a second chance. In America, we spend federally $1-$2 million on one tomahawk missile, but complain if .1 cent goes towards helping the homeless. We cannot rely on charities, or the churches alone. Chicagoan’s are better than this. As a local community we can help! Each tiny house is the size of a small bedroom, 8 feet by 12 feet, with windows and a door that lock. A family of three or four can fit snugly in a tiny house, a larger family can share two tiny houses side by side. Each house costs only $2,200 for wood and building materials. It’s Affordable, safe, environmental friendly and simplifies code enforcement with less violations. As of 2017, the following cities are using tiny houses as an overall strategy to address shelter for the homeless: Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; Olympia, WA; Reno, NV; Madison, WI; Des Moines, IA; Austin, TX; Detroit, MI; and Newfield, NY.