Cook County commisioner details jobs plan aimed at curbing violence

CHICAGO (FOX 32 NEWS) - With shootings up roughly 80 percent from the same period last year, Cook County Board Commissioner Richard Boykin said he has an answer for the city's rampant uptick in violence.

Boykin joins Richard Roeper on the Good Day Chicago to talk about his $50 million jobs bill and how putting students to work could reduce violence.

Boykin is proposing a special-use tax increase of $0.04 to fund his program, an average cost annually of $28 per driver. He said more than anything, Chicago youth want opportunities to work.

"We've held youth summits throughout the city, and they've all said they want jobs, they want opportunities, they want alternatives to selling drugs on street corners. We need to put our young people back to work," Boykin said.