CHICAGO (TEND) — A Chicago alderwoman is working to limit the amount of crime updates sent to her ward, citing an emphasis on “anti-racist” values.
I give birth. Lenny Manna-Hoppenworth (48th Ward) informed her community in a blog post last week that they will now be required to “opt-in” for crime alerts instead of receiving them automatically. She wrote that this decision was based on the views of neighbors and the desire not to perpetuate racist ideas.
“Based on feedback from our neighbors and our commitment to our values of empowerment, anti-racism and community, our office is updating our public safety alert system,” Ald. Manna-Hoppenworth Books. “Newsletter subscribers can now sign up to receive crime alerts. Only subscribers who sign up for these crime alerts will receive them.”
The local woman said crime alerts will no longer be shared on social media.
Further explaining the new change, Ald. Manna-Hoppenworth explained that the move aligns with the 48th District's mission statement and values of “empowerment, anti-racism, community, service and joy.” She also described a desire to reduce the tendency to “over-report crimes.”
“Our updated alert system is based not only on input from our community, but also on research conducted in recent years that shows how over-reporting of crime leads to inaccurate public perception about crime rates,” she wrote. “Research also shows us that over-reporting of crime negatively impacts our most marginalized and underserved neighbors.”
A spokesperson for the alderman's office told The National Desk (TND) on Wednesday that the office has received positive feedback on the new system.
“By offering an optional non-emergency crime alert system, we are enabling our community to share feedback with us and let us know what type of information they would like to receive from our office,” the spokesperson said. “Our office is committed to serving everyone who lives in Ward 48, including those who have told us they are not interested in receiving crime alerts from us.”
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Chicago leaders have a history of downplaying the severity of crime in the city. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson in 2023 corrected reporters who used what he called “inappropriate” language to describe a group of juveniles who looted a 7-Eleven store.
“No, that's inappropriate, we're not talking about mob action, I didn't say that,” he told a reporter who used such words to describe the incident. “It's important that we talk about these dynamics in an appropriate way. This is not to obscure what's really going on, but we have to be very careful when we use language to describe certain behavior.”
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