In spite of heavy rainfall that kept many indoors and 1,200 additional police officers on the streets of Chicago, 43 people were shot, seven fatally, over the Memorial Day weekend. Last year, 39 people were shot.

In preparation for what is typically a violent holiday weekend in Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot rolled out the new initiative, “Our City. Our Safety,” which looks to city resources and partner organizations to increase community engagement across the city.

Copy: Chicago Crime Data

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Chicago experienced a surge of violence in 2016 when 762 people were killed and 4,331 people were shot, according to Chicago Police Department records.

Lightfoot ran on and won decisively on a platform of reducing violence.

Joining us to talk about the violence in Chicago and how to curtail it:

• Mimi LeClair, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago

•Vaughn Bryant, Communities Partnering for Peace at Metropolitan Family Services, E.D.

•Franklin Cosey-Gay, executive director of the Chicago Center for Youth Violence Prevention

Related stories:

Family: Chicago Police Vehicles Caused Deadly Weekend Crash

Shooting on Popular 606 Trail Leaves 1 Dead, 2 Injured

Lightfoot Outlines Memorial Day Weekend Safety Plan

File Attachments:

Mayor Lightfoot Launches Our City. Our Safety. Initiative to Promote Resources, Programming and Activities for Memorial Day Weekend.pdf