Three Fresh Ideas to Help Solve Downtown Crime
It is going to take investments in people, places and things to get this done.
When it comes to fighting crime, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Members of Chicago’s City Council and Chicago Police Department must work collaboratively to help put a stop to what has become an all-too-frequent event in Chicago’s most popular business district and it’s economic engine.
That’s why the team here came to a pact. Starting Monday morning, we locked ourselves in a room until we came up with three first-of-their-kind ideas to help invest in the people, places and things that make this city what it is.
We agreed not to leave until the ideas themselves were so good, that even Mayor-Elect Brandon Johnson can’t ignore them.
CTA One-Penny Rides Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday
During the Paul Vallas’ Mayoral campaign, there was much talk about how only 18% of the CTA’s revenues came from the farebox, precipitated by a downturn in ridership. To combat these slumps, we believe offering One-Penny CTA rides to and from the Loop on all weekend nights will not only help increase ridership, but it will also allow more teens & adults from some of Chicago’s hardest hit areas, but it will also help test our mass-transit reliability for the upcoming Democratic National Convention.
Impose a 7pm Curfew On All Chicagoans
We believe that by imposing a 7pm curfew on all Chicagoans, that we can preserve the safety of those who choose not to engage in criminal activity.
It’s quite simple really, close bars & restaurants by 4pm, (6pm if you have an after-hours license) as well as any art exhibits, plays or the like. Chicago has a rich and robust daytime culture and we think it’s time we really embrace that beyond chugging beers at the PlayPen on your 60’ Azimut.
Create a Network of Beaches Throughout the City
Chicago has a long history of importing sand from the Midwest and thereabouts as a result of it’s geographic proximity to Lake Michigan. As a result, the city is situated on flat, marshy land that would otherwise make the shoreline highly undesirable.
It’s time to bring the beaches to the people. We’re proposing that the Department of Streets and Sanitation use their snowplows and salt trucks to haul sand from the beach to any of the strategically located Chicago Park District fields we’ve identified.
To those with children that play team sports, or to you adults that haven’t grown up and still play kickball, you know that just a few drops of rain are likely to wash out an entire season in many parks. Rather than call it an absolute wash, we propose dumping sand on the periphery to create the first of it’s kind network of city beaches.
These are of course, just three ideas that Mayor-Elect Brandon Johnson may consider as part of his strategy to not only deter crime but bring opportunity and access to those who have gone without for far, far too long.
Have an idea you think we should consider? Let us know…
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