Last Saturday, we held our first Community Safety Town Hall. More than 75 residents attended and shared their thoughts on how we can build healthier, safer communities.
We heard from experts in the fields of mental health, violence prevention, and restorative justice. The panelists introduced us to different approaches to violence prevention and gave us examples of what these interventions look like in practice–including the incredible work that Roosevelt High School, our host for the forum, is doing to implement restorative practices and teach students about healthy conflict resolution.
As a community, we all committed to taking action. This initial meeting was just the first one, and we will next be using the input we received to put together our 33rd Ward Community Safety Initiative. We need residents to take part by helping plan summer safety events, participating in block clubs, and collaborating with local organizations raising funds to bring more violence prevention resources to our ward.
More than half of attendees who provided feedback committed to joining a community organization and advocating to bring more resources for violence prevention in our ward–that’s a fantastic start! If you missed the forum but want to be involved, you can sign up to get involved in the Community Safety Initiative or to learn more here!
Thank you to all of the residents who took time out of their weekends to participate in this important discussion. The work has only just begun, but we are looking forward to building a safer community in the 33rd Ward with all of you!