CHICAGO — At public events and press conferences Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks directly to his base. There’s no filter. He does not modify messaging for reporters or those who don’t side with political ideology. This teacher turned activist turned politician is unapologetic about his agenda: the working class and people of color.
Johnson, middle child, son of a preacher, resident of the West Side was elected 57th mayor of Chicago promising bold progressivism. Six months on the job, items off his wish list have either been introduced or won final approval at City Council. But intractable problems like the busing of migrants to Chicago from the Southern border and crime have dominated headlines since his swearing in.
“As I’ve said repeatedly, I don’t know if there’s ever been a mayor that understand the trauma that violence causes in communities than someone like me who is living in one of those communities,” he said in a recent interview with WGN’s Tahman Bradley. “Today of course we’re centered in Austin, the neighborhood that I’m raising my family in. I can tell you the touch points have literally reached just outside my front door. And so I think about it every day, it’s a very serious problem that we have.”
In this interview, Johnson discusses the victories his administration has seen so far, the rise of robberies and his response to crime and the migrant crisis as well as the city budget and the city’s business community.
And you can watch the full interview with Johnson in the player below.