NYC Mayor Adams visits Chicago for private meeting with Mayor Lightfoot about gang violence and community safety
On Friday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams met privately with Mayor Lori Lightfoot to discuss possibilities for collaboration around issues plaguing both cities, such as illegal guns and gang violence.
At an afternoon press conference that started a little bit after 3:00 p.m. today, Lightfoot said she and Adams had a “robust conversation” with Chicago Police Department (CPD) Supt. David Brown.
“Mayor Adams talked about ways in which we can lead a national conversation around the common issues that are plaguing all cities, in particular, large and mid-size cities around public safety. So, that conversation will continue,” Lightfoot said.
It’s unclear what specifically was discussed between the two. Lightfoot said some details of their conversation are “law-enforcement sensitive.”
However, she said they did not discuss any police reform efforts happening within their respective police departments.
Adams spoke about the similarities between New York and Chicago, specifically how they view public safety. Both mayors believe that “public safety is a prerequisite to prosperity and justice,” he said.
He also noted that what is happening in Chicago and New York City related to gun and gang violence is a generational crisis that cannot be ignored any longer. Adams emphasized the need to put an end “to the rivers that feed the sea of violence in our cities.”
“There’s a tint of racism to this,” Adams said. “We don’t manufacture guns in Chicago, but why are we able to remove 12,000 guns off the street? Where are they coming from?”
Adams echoed the need for collaboration with Lightfoot and the city of Chicago, saying, “we’re going to do it as a partnership,” he said.
He called on more help from federal lawmakers in DC, more staffing within the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), more information sharing between police departments, focus on illegal gun manufacturers, and pouring resources into communities to help young people.
Additionally, Adams praised Lightfoot’s efforts to engage with Chicagoans about public safety through community meetings.
The City of Chicago will host a series of community safety town halls citywide between March 19 and April 5. At these meetings, residents will have the opportunity to share ideas on what will make their communities safer and how to prevent violence in their neighborhoods.
One of the community safety town halls will be held on Saturday, March 19 at Garfield Park Gold Dome Field House, located at 100 N. Central Park Ave. The meeting starts at 10:00 a.m. Details about Saturday and future town halls can be found here.
Earlier today, Chicago Tribune reporter Gregory Pratt shared information about Lightfoot’s private meeting with Adams, which was listed on the public schedule for Adams. Pratt posted a screenshot of the announcement on Twitter. In Adam’s schedule, it said he would be meeting with Lightfoot approximately at 3:30 p.m. on March 18.
According to Adam’s schedule, he and Lightfoot would discuss gang violence and possibilities for collaboration. However, the meeting was closed to the press and initially wasn’t included in Lightfoot’s public schedule for March 18. The Mayor’s Office sends out Lightfoot’s schedule to members of the press via e-mail daily.
A little after 10:35 a.m. today, Lightfoot’s deputy of communications, Ryan Johnson, posted an update about the meeting on Twitter. He wrote that Adams requested a private meeting with Lightfoot to “discuss Chicago’s strategies on community safety. Mayor Lightfoot looks forward to sharing Chicago’s law enforcement and multi-agency coordination strategies to reduce and prevent violence in our communities.”
Then just before 1:00 p.m. today, Johnson wrote on Twitter that Lightfoot and Adams will hold a joint press conference at 3:00 p.m. following their meeting on community safety.
In Lightfoot’s updated schedule, which was sent out to the press at 12:55 p.m., it listed that she and Adams would hold a media availability following their meeting on community safety, and that media will only be able to ask on-topic questions regarding today’s meeting.