Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker is deploying a team of yellow-vested ‘Peacekeepers’ to Chicago this Memorial Day weekend to respond to and prevent acts of violence.
What could possibly go wrong?
CBS News reports:
Teams of ‘peacekeepers’ to be deployed around Chicago for Memorial Day weekendThe Governor’s Office is deploying anti-violence workers across Chicago ahead of the holiday weekend, calling them “peacekeepers.”Gov. JB Pritzker’s program is modeled after two existing groups in the city. CBS 2’s Tara Molina spoke to a peacekeeper with one of those groups who’s been doing this kind of work for years.While other types of operations in the city are based in neighborhoods, this new unit is going to be mobile and can respond to or work in other areas.They’re trained to handle what police call “large group incidents,” which the city has already seen ahead of Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial kickoff to summer.Behind the fencing and security checkpoints surrounding Millennium Park, anyone under age 18 is required to have adult supervision after 6 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays. If there are gatherings of unsupervised minors, that’s an example of one situation the governor’s new unit of about 30 peacekeepers is fully trained to handle and de-escalate.
Here’s a local video report:
Here’s more from Bloomberg, via Chicago Business:
Chicago readies ‘Peacekeepers’ to prevent Memorial Day crime waveIllinois is readying a special team to tackle potential violence and prevent crises in Chicago during Memorial Day weekend.The Citywide Crisis Prevention & Response unit will coordinate with community-based organizations to deploy more than 30 trained neighborhood “peacekeepers,” Governor JB Pritzker said in a statement Thursday.The Memorial Day weekend is one of the most violent holidays of the year for Chicago. The citywide response will be a test for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who took office this month, pledging to tackle public safety by being smart, not just tough.“The most important work we do is keeping our communities safe,” Pritzker said. “This is another important step towards addressing violence and conflict through research-based, community-focused approaches.”
This is what ‘Defund the Police’ looks like in reality. Tasking members of the community with the dangerous job of keeping the peace.
Featured image via YouTube.
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