Mayor Brandon Johnson met with Chicago Defender Managing Editor Tacuma Roeback to discuss the DOJ investigation, falling crime rates, housing goals and his strategy for a safer, more united Chicago ahead of summer 2025 (Photo Credit: Marshelle Sanders).
On a sunny yet unseasonably cool Friday for a city on the cusp of summer, a noticeable cheerfulness filled the Urban Essentials Coffee Café, where Mayor Brandon Johnson mingled with residents, city officials, and staff.
The Black-owned café sits in the heart of Austin, the West Side community the mayor calls home. It was fitting, then, that he appeared jovial and relaxed, like anyone at ease in familiar surroundings. From that scene, you wouldn’t have guessed that the mayor is currently the subject of a U.S. Department of Justice inquiry over comments he made at a church about the number of Black senior officials in his administration.
The weight of that incident, which generated national headlines, was nowhere present in this room, where good vibes seemed to prevail.
That investigation is only one of several challenges before him. Others loom, particularly the issue of public safety as summer approaches and the threat of President Trump’s administration, which seems bent on being politically retaliatory against majority Democratic cities like Chicago.
Just past the midway point of his first term, with two years left as mayor of the nation’s third-largest city, Johnson sat down with Chicago Defender Managing Editor Tacuma Roeback to discuss the DOJ probe, his administration’s progress in reducing violence, and what he envisions for the rest of his tenure—and beyond.
Violence Down, Investment Up
“Violent crime is down in Chicago in every major category,” Johnson said. “Homicides are down. Shootings are down. Robberies are down.”
He credits this drop to what he calls the “full force of government,” working in tandem with community organizations, philanthropic partners, and businesses. His administration has pushed a host of investments in mental health services, affordable housing, and youth employment—particularly a 45% increase in summer jobs for teens.
“As we make these critical investments, as they go up, violence comes down,” said Johnson.
But even as he touted progress, Johnson didn’t mince words about his obstacles.
“You have these millionaires and billionaires who’ve run this city into the ground… and who essentially are running the federal government into the ground right now,” he said. “They don’t have the interests of working people at heart, and I do.”
“So, I’m going to stand firm on our values, and my desire is to continue to build the safest, most affordable big city in America.”
Lessons from the Migrant Crisis
When asked what he might do differently, Johnson pointed to the chaos caused by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to bus migrants to Chicago without warning, starting in 2022 and for much of his first two years as mayor.
“If I would have known coming in that a governor would spend $220 million to ship people here, I would have worked even harder to challenge the federal government to step in,” he said.
“Cities were left on our own to respond to this crisis,” he said.
Johnson said that before his term began, migrants were already sleeping in police stations across the city. He highlighted his administration’s One System Initiative, a unified shelter system for unhoused and migrant individuals. “For the first time in a decade,” he said, “there’s not a single family on a waiting list seeking shelter.”
He added that the city has also increased the number of shelter beds by 126%.
“What someone meant for evil, we turned it around and made it for our good, especially for our people.”
His Big Lesson After the First Two Years
Photo Credit: Marshelle Sanders
Despite these efforts, Johnson acknowledges a communication gap between his administration and the public.
‘My big lesson is that if I don’t work harder to communicate with the people in Chicago what I’m doing and why I’m doing it,” he said, “The people who oppose me will certainly tell that story.”
Summer Safety, Community Strategy, and Curfews
With summer fast approaching, Johnson said public safety remains top of mind.
“There’s no evidence that a curfew is going to prevent violence from happening,” he said. “But we do know that when we all work together—creating opportunity and holding people accountable—that’s the pathway to real community safety.”
Johnson pointed to neighborhoods like Austin, where thousands of young people received jobs last summer. That investment, he said, correlated with a drop in violence.
April 2025, he noted, had the fewest homicides in the city since 1962.
“We’ve hired 200 more detectives. We’re using new technology to solve shootings. And just because you didn’t kill somebody, but you shot someone—we’re going to hold you accountable too.”
The Next 700 Days—and Beyond
Looking ahead, Johnson wants to scale up affordable housing—especially through his Missing Middle Infill Housing Initiative, which aims to revitalize communities in the city, including the West Side, by providing affordable market-rate homes for residents.
“I want to build generational wealth for our people, and the way we do that is through development and home ownership, right?” he said.
He cited a well-known statistic about median wealth in white and Black households in Chicago., where the average cumulative wealth for white families in Chicago sits above $200,000 and for Black families, it’s $0.
“We’ve already built nearly 4,000 affordable homes. Another 1,800 are under construction. And we’ll have 4,600 more built within the next 18 months.”
When asked what might come after his term ends, Johnson kept his focus on the present.
“I think I have roughly 720-something days left in this first term, ” he said. “You know, there’s a lot of work we have to continue to do together. What I want is…I want our city united.”
To see the full interview, click on the video below:
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