CHICAGO – Today, Governor JB Pritzker met with leaders and volunteers from Community Violence Intervention (CVI) organizations across the Chicago area to discuss the progress of their programs in reducing crime and violence. This comes as the Trump administration has significantly cut federal funding for such programs while threatening to deploy armed military personnel into the streets of Chicago.
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“Community Violence Intervention Programs have a clear and demonstrated track record of reducing crime and making our communities safer – which is why my administration has invested historic amounts into them,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “President Trump’s deep cuts to these programs are another indication that his administration is not serious about fighting crime.”
Governor Pritzker’s meetings were hosted at the Metropolitan Peace Academy, a program of Metropolitan Peace Initiatives, that trains individuals for community violence intervention work to build a citywide CVI network. Their trainings equip street outreach workers, case managers, and victim advocates with skills and best practices, and trauma-informed methods of violence prevention and interruption.
The Governor also met with representatives from the Midwest Immigrant Defense Alliance, a coalition of seven immigrant legal service providers that have built a coordinated referral system for Illinois residents in immigration detention to access legal representation.
Studies indicate that CVI programs are remarkably effective in preventing violent crime and making neighborhoods safer. President Trump froze $158 million for violence prevention programs and rescinded more than $800 million in anti-violence and crime reduction grants nationwide.
Illinois has a number of CVI programs and partners with a clear track record of success. The Peacekeepers program sends trained community members out to de-escalate and mitigate conflicts in the most violent hotspots in the city. Those interventions were found to have decreased shootings 41% in program areas, with a 31% decrease in the surrounding community.
Since taking office, Governor Pritzker has worked to address the root causes of violence through evidence-based policy. The Reimagine Public Safety Act (RPSA) has invested $250 million in trauma-informed, evidence-based programs to reduce gun violence. He has also invested historic amounts in law enforcement – Illinois ranks 6th in the nation and 1st in the Midwest for per-capita police spending, well above the national average.
Those strategies have proved effective, as crime in Chicago has dropped significantly – despite President Trump’s false claims to the contrary. Murders are down more than 30% in the past year and cut in half since 2021. Robberies are down 33% from 2024 and 37% since 2023. Shootings, burglaries, and motor vehicle thefts are all similarly down in the last year.
