As Chicago enters the most violent time of year, mayor, top cop lay out plans to keep neighborhoods safe

A year ago, Mayor Brandon Johnson decried the "intolerable" violence of the first Memorial Day weekend under his watch when at least 11 people died in one of the most deadly holiday weekends in recent memory.

Ahead of the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, Johnson and his police chief said they are tackling the usually violent weekend by emphasizing the well-being of police officers — forcing them to work less mandatory overtime — while also emphasizing the well-being of neighborhoods through youth and social programs.

They were less clear about the enforcement of a curfew downtown to stem the kind of violence that flared up at some youth gatherings last year.

Johnson tried to keep the mood positive Friday during an hour-long news conference at the Chicago Cultural Center, where he and city department heads cataloged the city programs and resources available to Chicagoans.

"My administration will not rest, and everyone up here will not rest, until we tackle this problem and stop the violence," Johnson said.

To increase officer well-being, Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling said he is limiting the amount of forced overtime officers will have to work over the historically violent weekend but did not offer specifics. Instead of canceling days off for all officers, he said the department is being more intentional about calling for forced overtime and giving officers notice.

"If our officers are not well, they're not going to perform well," Snelling said.

Johnson and administration officials emphasized the array of social and youth programs in neighborhoods.

One new program calls for training 100 youth peace keepers through the city's One Summer Chicago program, according to Brandie Knazze, head of the Department of Family and Support Services. The program is run in conjunction with Good Kids Mad City and offers the young people 60 hours of paid training over six weeks, followed by work where they engage other young people to keep them safe.

Johnson was unclear about enforcing youth curfews this weekend, saying the issue was still being looked at. But Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) said the city will implement a 10 p.m. curfew this weekend at North Avenue Beach, which is earlier than the regular 11 p.m. youth curfew on city books. Hopkins told the Sun-Times that police are expecting a "teen trend" Saturday afternoon at the beach and were preparing to search bags.