Do Not Dehumanize Our Youth

In the last week, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has come under fire for asking the press not to refer to teens as mobs.
 
Some people are saying that the mayor should not be worried about what ‘these young people’ are being called; instead, he should focus on solving the problem of teens taking over stores in the city.  
 
Mayor Johnson’s request to not dehumanize our youth challenges us to consider the language we use when speaking about our communities. To ask that we not dehumanize our youth is not to endorse all their behavior. What we know for sure is that young Black kids, irrespective of what they do, deserve to be treated humanely by our city’s government. To treat folks decently is not to let them off for their actions. For too long, those two things have been conflated.  
 
We thank Mayor Johnson for lifting the humanity of our children.  
 
We are also clear that solutions and answers are needed for how we make Chicago a safe and thriving city for all of us. We are saddened to see what happened to the 7-Eleven store in the South Loop and believe that there should be efforts for restitution. We invite the city to take a humane and holistic approach to how we engage young people and divert their energy, time and talent into more productive endeavors.  
 
CRS is ready to work with the mayor to lift up the city and work on long term solutions to protect the community. Sign up to join us at our Police Accountability Issue Team meetings for updates and discussion on criminal justice and public safety.  

Together, We Win!  

Keron Blair  Community Outreach and Capacity Building Manager for Organizing and Policy