Community violence intervention advocates tout crime reduction, taxpayer funding

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – With more than $100 million of assistance from state taxpayers, community violence intervention advocates are touting lower crime numbers in Chicago.

CVI organization members, supporters and elected officials gathered at the South Shore Cultural Center on Tuesday.

Chicago’s reported homicide total of 417 in 2025 was the city’s lowest in 60 years.

Chicago CRED Founder and former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said arrests and incarcerations declined along with violent crime.

Duncan thanked Illinois Department of Human Services Office of Firearm Violence Prevention Assistant Secretary Quiwana Bell and said what the state has done with the peacekeepers program is extraordinary.

“This is hard work, it’s controversial, it’s difficult. There is no way we get the kind of results we’ve gotten across the city without them investing over $100 million each year,” Duncan said.

Duncan also thanked city and county officials. Chicago is spending about $32 million on CVI this year and Cook County is spending $20 million.

A report released on Monday indicated that Chicago communities with the highest average investment in community violence intervention showed the largest public safety gains.

Northwestern University’s Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research and Science prepared the report for the Government Alliance for Safe Communities, which is comprised of city, county and state agencies.

The report suggested that the GASC’s investment in community violence intervention is improving the safety of Illinois’ communities.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said CVI work matters too much to slow down.

“So let’s continue to make sure that we are investing in you all. I need your help to support, to generate more progressive revenue so that we can invest more into CVI,” Johnson said.

Retired Riverside, Illinois police chief Thomas Weitzel does not favor diverting taxpayer funds from police to CVI programs.

“They have no statutory responsibility for emergency response. They don’t respond to 911 calls. They don’t conduct criminal investigations. They don’t enforce protective orders or respond to violent incidents. Those are the police,” Weitzel told The Center Square.

Weitzel said police and police agencies are the ones leading the way in violence reduction.

“When they take credit for these safety gains while ignoring the police work that goes into reduction in violence and safety, that’s a really bad message,” Weitzel told The Center Square.

Last week, CVI organizations issued a joint statement saluting Gov. J.B. Pritzker for maintaining CVI funding in his budget proposal for fiscal year 2027.

“Gov. Pritzker has clearly signaled the state’s continuing support for public safety strategies that are saving lives and making our communities safer and healthier,” the statement said.