Crime prevention in spotlight for Labor Day weekend in Chicago amid Trump threat to deploy National Guard
Violence intervention groups across the city said they are ramping up their efforts to stop crime over the Labor Day weekend, amid threats from President Trump to send National Guard troops to Chicago to crack down on violent crime.
Chicago police said a 15-year-old boy has died after he was shot near a vacant lot in the Canaryville neighborhood on Thursday. A 12-year-old boy also was wounded in the shooting.
It's that kind of violence leading into Labor Day weekend that has community leaders like Violence Interrupters president Tio Hardiman worried.
"We don't need a repeat of July 4th weekend from last year," he said. Last year, at least 19 people were killed and 87 others were wounded over the Independence Day holiday weekend in 2024. This year saw a significant drop in July 4th weekend violence in Chicago, with 5 killed and 36 wounded.
For the upcoming Labor Day weekend, Hardiman said the Violence Interrupters and other organizations will have 400 people out trying to deescalate crime.
Over the past two years, violence has gone down on Labor Day weekend.
In 2023, 8 people were killed and 41 were hurt. Last year, 5 died and 26 were injured.
Hardiman said it's statistics like that which have him hesitant to welcome the National Guard to Chicago.
"It's going to be a temporary fix. We have to address the systemic issues that have been going on for a long time," he said.
So far this year, President Trump has deployed the National Guard to Washington D.C. for a law enforcement crackdown and in Los Angeles in response to protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
A CBS News analysis showed violent crime in the D.C. has been cut in half since troops arrived. Burglaries are down 48% and car thefts are down 36%.
In an interview with CBS News on Friday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said Americans should know President Trump has an ulterior motive for deploying the National Guard in D.C. and Los Angeles and threatening to do the same in Chicago.
"Well, they should understand that he has other aims, other than fighting crime. That's the first thing they should understand. The second is, it's an attack on the American people by the President of the United States. Now, he may disagree with a state that didn't vote for him, but should he be sending troops in? No," Pritzker said.
Pritzker said he has not been briefed by the Trump administration about military forces coming to Chicago, but said if they follow through on this threat, it would be "an invasion".
Not everyone agrees with the governor. Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41st) said he welcomes the National Guard.
"We have to do something in order to show we're trying every avenue to make Chicago a better place. It just can't be, 'No, you're not coming here, because we don't like you politically,'" Napolitano said.
A White House spokesperson said Pritzker's accusations are absurd.
The state of California sued the Trump administration for deploying National Guard troops in Los Angeles. That is still going through the legal process.
