Mayor Brandon Johnson fires deputy mayor for public safety Garien Gatewood

Mayor Brandon Johnson has fired Garien Gatewood, his first deputy mayor for public safety, a position Johnson created just days after taking office in 2023.

Gatewood had been tasked with overseeing the Johnson administration's efforts to address the root causes of crime and violence in Chicago and coming up with a plan for public safety.

A spokesperson for the mayor's office declined to provide a reason for Gatewood's firing, but said his first deputy, Jason Sanford, would serve as interim deputy mayor of community safety until a permanent successor is appointed.

"The Johnson administration is fully committed to making sure our investments in public safety continue to improve the lives of our neighbors," a spokesperson said. "The Mayor's office will provide a replacement swiftly and share updates at the appropriate time."

Gatewood said he was not given an explanation for his firing.

"I'm not sure what changed. All I know is I continued to show up for people, continued to lead efforts to help drive violence down by working with people across the city, working with our Chicago Police Department, working with our Fire Department, actually working with alders and people on the ground and communities," Gatewood said. "So I'm not sure what changed, because just yesterday they were tagging me in posts about the incredible work we were doing together. So I'm not sure what changed overnight, but honestly I am hopeful that people continue to remain safe in our city."

Gatewood said the mayor did not speak to him directly about the decision to fire him. Instead, Johnson's chief of staff, Dr. Cristina Pacione-Zayas, and senior advisor, Jason Lee, simply told him "Hey, we're going to go in a different direction, we're going to let you go."

"They said they wanted to move forward with different policies as opposed to the on-the-ground work that I do, on-the-ground work with community members, with people in those communities, and also like communities like this, right? From being on the ground in spaces like this where we've seen levels of violence. They said that wasn't the route that they wanted to go. They wanted to go in a different direction. That was the only explanation I got," Gatewood said.

According to Gatewood, the mayor also fired his director of violence prevention, Manny Whitfield, likewise without an explanation.

"They just told him they wanted to go in a different direction with him as well," Gatewood said.

Gatewood said he believes the firings signal a problem with Johnson's top advisers not tolerating dissenting opinions.

"What that says about the culture on the 5th floor [of City Hall] is simple. When you work to hold people accountable, you become a target," he said.

Gatewood said he never had any issues working with Mayor Johnson, but that wasn't the case with others in the administration.

"The folks that are around him sometimes, when you work to hold them accountable, you become a target. You become isolated. The culture and the environment becomes a bit hostile when you try to hold them accountable. Sometimes you are alienated, you are ostracized," he said. "I'm not the first person to experience this, and unfortunately, people's lives are at stake, and I am hopeful and I have all the faith in the world in the people who continue to do this work."

Gatewood said he spoke to the mayor on a daily basis up until just a few days ago.

"So today came as a bit of a shock, but again, people are inclined to make their own decisions, and I wish them the best of luck," he said.

Gatewood defended his tenure as Johnson's deputy mayor for public safety, saying he regularly worked with the Chicago Police Department and multiple other agencies to craft violence reduction strategies. He noted Chicago has seen a drastic reduction in violent crime in recent years, including four consecutive years with a drop in homicides, and the city ending 2025 with the fewest homicides in 60 years.

"The direction that we have been going in has been historic declines in crime and violence across the city; year after year declines, and that's not just from one person, that's everybody working together. So I am hopeful that that work continues and most importantly now I get time to relax," he said.

Gatewood said his top deputy, Sanford, had recently resigned "because of a lack of quality of work," but the mayor's staff asked Sanford to stay on to replace him.

"I'm happy for them. I'm happy that they're moving in a direction with him. There's no ill will or hard feelings from me. I am just hopeful that the people of Chicago continue to be safe," he said.

Before Johnson hired Gatewood as deputy mayor for public safety, he was director of the nonprofit Illinois Justice Project, a policy group focused on violence reduction and creating an equitable justice system.

He also served on the board of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, a state agency focused on developing and coordinating programs to improve public safety.