Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel relates education, community policing to fighting crime
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Photo by ©Kathy Anderson.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was upbeat as he opened the House of Delegates session at the 2015 Annual Meeting.
Emanuel related core civic issues—economic revitalization and education—to the future of criminal justice in his speech.
“You want to pursue justice? You want to pursue liberty?” he asked rhetorically. Then, he said, it’s important to help students graduate.
He noted his administration’s work toward that goal. Five years ago, he said, only 56 percent of Chicago’s students were finishing high school. But this year’s sophomore class is on track for an 84 percent graduation rate, he said. He also noted his work toward offering pre-K education to every Chicago child and free community college for students with excellent grades in high school.
“When a child walks across that stage on graduation day, their head is high, their eyes are out on the horizon,” Emanuel said. Students who graduate have their focus on a future. But when visiting jails, he asked delegates, what’s the common factor? Those in jail are high school dropouts.
Emanuel also discussed community policing, in which police officers and community members get to know one another. He urged prosecutors to adopt the same model, “so they’re getting ahead of the crime rather than after the fact.
“At the end of the day, it’s about trust between residents and law enforcement,” he said. “We cannot bring safety to the community without the community being engaged.”
Emanuel kept his speech short because he had plans to visit Chicagoans affected by Sunday’s severe storm.
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