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Mayor Lightfoot leads final City Council meeting as concerns mount over downtown destruction

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Published  April 19, 2023 12:14pm CDT
Lori Lightfoot
FOX 32 Chicago

Lightfoot leads final City Council meeting as downtown chaos concerns mount

Mayor Lori Lightfoot presided over her last City Council meeting on Wednesday.

CHICAGO - Mayor Lori Lightfoot presided over her last City Council meeting on Wednesday.

It’s a time of transition in the Mayor’s office, Chicago Police Department and the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC). But public safety cannot wait for these changes in leadership.

The meeting is a farewell for many. The next meeting in May will include many new aldermen. Lightfoot promised a smooth transition for Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson, who inherits Chicago’s safety and security concerns as summer approaches. 

The teen gatherings downtown over the weekend caused disruption, damage and injury, and has business owners concerned about the future of tourism in Chicago. One alderman says current leaders are at work for the safety of Chicagoans.

Who's in charge? Many worry after social media posts promise second round of Chicago chaos

One City Council veteran warns that outbursts of downtown violence — like we saw last weekend — threaten to do enormous damage to Chicago's tourism and hospitality industry.

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"What we saw this weekend was utter chaos, that left buildings damaged, institutions vandalized, CTA employees brutalized, people going home attacked," 15th ward Alderman Ray Lopez said. "This is not who we are. We need to be able to stand up and not only guide government but let the public know they have a responsibility to know where their children are."

Chicago police issued a statement saying they are monitoring social media, enforcing curfew laws and increasing police presence to keep Chicagoans, visitors and young people safe.