(DailyVantage.com) – The Mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, announced a program with the Economic Security Project that would open city-run grocery stores by using taxpayer money to provide goods for inner-city residents. Johnson claims the project is an attempt at providing citizens of Chicago with convenient and affordable foods, toiletries, and other essential items that many residents can’t find in their local community.
The project will be run similarly to how libraries or post offices are run, with government funding but limited oversight, to establish an alternative to standard grocery stores that often refuse to open stores in areas like Chicago. Johnson isn’t just tackling the obstacle of food insecurity either, as he is implementing policies seeking to reduce homelessness and lower crime rates, issues Chicago is known for worldwide. Johnson is a new mayor serving his first term, having ousted controversial former mayor Lori Lightfoot from office after a string of highly publicized controversies.
Johnson is working on a plan to reduce the number of robberies within Chicago, which the city’s police department is implementing. Since last fall, robberies in Chicago have increased by 24%, an alarming statistic Johnson hopes to reduce in the coming months. Details about the “strategic plan” are scarce, but Johnson assures Chicago residents that the crime rate is a crucial concern of his administration. Despite his efforts, however, it seems unlikely that the ongoing robberies within the city will cease. Chicago is well known for its high poverty rates and ongoing crime epidemic, issues that Johnson campaigned on during his election bid.
Johnson’s plan to reduce homelessness is much more detailed than his plan to reduce Chicago’s crime rate, and it might even provide millions of dollars in funding to aid homeless citizens. The program will raise taxes on expensive real estate properties, such as mansions, to fund permanent housing and other homeless services. The higher tax rate will apply to properties valued over one million dollars and bring Chicago millions in tax revenue. Johnson is known as one of Chicago’s most progressive mayors, and his policies will change the political landscape of Chicago moving forward.
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