What a four years it’s been.
This past year alone, we saw a deadly pandemic grip our communities and leave fear, grief and devastation in its wake. An economic depression that plummeted some of our already most underserved communities into deeper despair. A national reckoning on race and policing that saw thousands of neighbors taking to the streets united in the belief that racism, and the institutions that racism fuels, must end.
Sadly, we also have collectively mourned the loss of life due to the unrelenting gun violence that continues to steal the promise of those taken far too soon.
When I first took office in December 2016, we were grappling with the aftermath of one of the bloodiest years Chicago had seen in decades and the fractured relationship with communities of color and law enforcement. As unique as 2020 has been, this isn’t entirely unfamiliar territory.
The same communities that were hit hardest by COVID-19 are the communities that have been ravaged by systemic and institutional racism in housing, education, economic investment and our justice system. When 86% of the people in our jails are Black and Brown, and 90% of the victims of homicide also are Black and Brown, the distrust of law enforcement in these communities is unsurprising.
To tackle violence, it is vital that we reckon with race.
On Monday, I was sworn in to serve the people of Cook County as your state’s attorney for a second term, and I know we still have a lot to do.
Like so much in recent memory, the grinding day-to-day work of seeking justice and protecting society’s most vulnerable is often overshadowed by click-driven headlines, a president whose absurdity dominates news coverage and, most recently, the life-altering COVID-19 pandemic.
But every day, the staff of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office — even during the pandemic — are working to see justice served in the courtroom and throughout our communities. I am, first and foremost, proud to call these women and men my colleagues.
When I ran for state’s attorney in 2016, I pledged to begin reforming our broken criminal justice system. Changes to a centuries-old system, one deeply rooted in systemic racism and fueled by disinvestment in Black and Brown communities, begin with innovation.
Following a level of bloodshed in 2016 that we had not seen in decades, we created the Gun Crimes Strategies Unit to help break this cycle of violence. This initiative places specially trained prosecutors inside police districts that are struggling with the highest rates of gun violence. Between 2016 and 2018, gun violence declined faster in those five districts than in the city as a whole and led the City of Chicago in referring enhanced gun charges for repeat offenders.
Our close partnership with police and local partners helps bring a holistic approach to reducing crime in these communities.
We have also set the standard for transparency, doing what no other prosecutor’s office before us has. In 2018, we released six years of raw, case-level data to the public on our website and we have continued to regularly update these data dashboards — which are designed to provide easy-to-follow trends and key information about felony, sexual assault and domestic violence cases.
The Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act that Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law last year created a process for state’s attorneys to clear convictions. So far, we have expunged nearly 2,200 low-level cannabis convictions. These convictions have disproportionately impacted Black and Brown communities, and our work is helping reopen doors to opportunities such as education, housing and employment. Giving a new lease on life to so many.
We have also overturned 95 wrongful convictions tied to the team of disgraced former Chicago police sergeant Ronald Watts, enacted cash bail reform, created a police criminal misconduct complaint form for the public and brought on Hatty, the Labrador Retriever, as facility dog to comfort and ease the anxiety of child survivors of sexual and domestic assault.
I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished so far, and am grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of Cook County for another four years.
It has never been lost on me that my journey from Cabrini Green to state’s attorney is inspiring and improbable. In neighborhoods like the one I grew up in, people are not afforded the benefit of opportunity. In the coming months and years, we will continue to focus energy on positively impacting communities. Breaking the cycle of crime starts with investing resources in our neighborhoods — while still administering justice.
We will be working closely with legislators to advance policies that impact our work to make sure it is the most just and fair, and to make sure everyone who steps foot in Cook County is safe, no matter their race, income or zip code.
We will find ways to continue to fix our broken criminal justice system and, as the “last responders” within the criminal justice process, I understand how important it is to work closely with our law enforcement partners to bring positive change as early as possible.
While this past year has tested our collective mettle, these last four years have demonstrated that we as a collective community must act with urgency and commitment to ensure healthy, safe and thriving communities throughout Cook County.
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