Lighthouse Board Member Introduces Proposal to Fight Crime, Create Jobs in Cook County
The Chicago Lighthouse - Apr 5th, 2016
In an effort to fight rising crime and create jobs in depressed communities, Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin, a Chicago Lighthouse board member, introduced a far-reaching legislative proposal at an April 4th press conference.
The press briefing, which took place at the offices of the Chicago Urban League, was attended by law enforcement officials, anti-violence advocates and community leaders. The event attracted coverage from all the city’s key media outlets, including ABC 7, FOX 32, CBS 2, NBC 5, WBBM-AM and Telemundo.
The proposal, the Community Stabilization and Anti-Violence Act of Cook County, has four key elements to stabilize communities and prevent violence. Included is a Cook County Jobs Council to strategically tackle the issue of unemployment among youth, aged 16 to 24; a Countywide Parenting Education initiative designed to address one of the root causes of neighborhood violence; a Cook County Community Policing Initiative designed to provide critical law enforcement support in Cook County communities with high levels of violence; and a Cook County Office for People with Disabilities to provide integrated services to the disabled community, which is beset with an unemployment rate of approximately 75%.
Funding for the legislation would come from an increase in the Cook County motor fuel tax, which would come to about $28.00 per year for the average taxpayer. The amount of revenue generated from the tax is estimated to be about $50 million dollars.
“Our goal is to put in place both a violence reducer and a hope producer!” the Commissioner said.
Lighthouse President & CEO Dr. Janet Szlyk participated in the press conference and spoke in favor of Commissioner Boykin’s proposal.
“I stand here today in full support of the Community Stabilization and Anti-Violence Act,” she said. “Commissioner Boykin has a tremendous track record for getting things done – He is a solutions-oriented individual who has worked for a decade on The Lighthouse’s Board of Directors making a difference and improving lives.”
Dr. Szlyk voiced support for all the key components of the Commissioner’s plan, including the Office for People with Disabilities, and urged its passage and speedy implementation.
For further media coverage of the proposal, see the following stories:
