WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Chicago’s New Mayor Brandon Johnson Wants to ‘Reimagine’ the Police

The city of Chicago has a massive crime problem. Everyone knows this and lots of people have ideas for how to deal with it. Brandon Johnson seems to have an idea too, an awful one.

He is talking about reimagning the police. This is the same wording that many people who supported defunding the police used a few years ago.

Any time a far left Democrat starts talking about reimagining something, you should run.

The Washington Examiner reports:

Chicago’s crime problem is about to get worse

Chicago’s crime problem is notoriously bad. And, over the past few years, it has only become more severe. Crime has spiked 88% since 2021 and there are no indications the trend will be reversing any time soon.

Even worse, Chicago’s new mayor, Brandon Johnson, just released a 223-page report titled “A Blueprint for Creating a More Just and Vibrant City for All” that included a truly disastrous “public safety” plan.

The plan, which was inspired by a “struggle rooted in black liberation,” contains no recommendations to increase enforcement of crimes. Instead, it proposes getting rid of a gang database because of “racial disparities,” issuing an acknowledgment of harm toward black and Hispanic residents of the city, “re-envision[ing] the role of a police officer,” and providing mental health services — rather than actual safety — in communities that are “over-policed.”

Even that framing of the problem being “over-policed” communities rather than neighborhoods with too much crime indicates that the plan’s focus is not really on taking decisive action to reduce crime.

Jazz Shaw of Hot Air asks some excellent questions about this:

Seeing this happen in a city where reporters are forced to rank carjacking statistics like ongoing baseball results is simply surreal. The gang violence problem in Chicago remains almost completely out of control. The Gangster Disciples and the Latin Kings control more turf than the Mayor’s office does. But those are precisely the neighborhoods that Mayor Johnson seems to believe are “over-policed.”

Who exactly are these “mental health service providers” who will replace the police? Will they be armed with anything other than a clipboard? Will they at least be given body armor? Or will they be trained to simply stroll up to warring gang members and flash some peace signs, expecting them to throw down their guns and head off to church to repent?

This is a recipe for disaster. It’s just amazing that law abiding taxpayers continue to put up with the progressive approach to law enforcement.