Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) said sending the National Guard to his city is the “wrong solution to a real problem” in a new opinion piece for The New York Times.
“Lowering crime rates here does not require an occupation of our city by armed members of the National Guard, as the White House continues to threaten us with. Chicagoans, including survivors of violence, have spoken out against such an extreme measure,” Johnson wrote in his piece published Monday.
“Sending in the National Guard is the wrong solution to a real problem. If President Trump had listened to the city’s leaders, he would recognize that Chicago just experienced record-low homicide numbers, making this the safest summer since the 1960s, a result of effective collaboration between communities and law enforcement,” he added.
On Sunday, President Trump said he’s “not going to war” with Chicago despite his recent social media post that showed the Windy City in an apocalypse and hinted at impending war.
When questioned if he was “threatening to go to war with Chicago,” Trump said to reporters, “We’re not going to war. We’re going to clean up our cities.”
“We’re going to clean them up, so they don’t kill five people every weekend. That’s not war. That’s common sense,” the president added.
Last week, Trump said it was a matter of when, not if, he would move the National Guard into Chicago, citing the city’s problems with gun violence.
“Well, we’re going in. I didn’t say when. We’re going in,” Trump said previously. “Look, I have an obligation. This isn’t a political thing. I have an obligation.”
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.
