Earlier this year, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson tried to terminate the city’s contract with ShotSpotter, a system that lets authorities know where gunshots are taking place. The left convinced Johnson that the system was somehow racist.
Now, the Chicago City Council has defied the mayor, and even members of his own party say they want the system restored.
Johnson appeared shocked when asked about the incident by the media.
WTTW News reports:
City Council votes 34-14 to overturn Mayor Brandon Johnson’s decision to abolish ShotSpotter
The Chicago City Council voted 34-14 on Wednesday to overturn Mayor Brandon Johnson’s decision to cancel the city’s use of ShotSpotter after a heated debate over the gunshot detection system.
The vote was a major rebuke to Johnson and a core promise of his campaign for mayor, which was to address the root causes of crime and violence rather than focus on law enforcement.
The order requires the City Council to vote before removing ShotSpotter from any Chicago precinct and requires the Johnson administration to provide aldermen with the vast amount of data generated by the ShotSpotter system before the city’s contract with SoundThinking expires on Nov. 22.
Johnson could veto the order, which he called illegal. However, two-thirds of the City Council voted in favor, raising the possibility that the City Council could override the mayor’s veto, something that has never happened in Chicago history.
The order approved by the City Council said Johnson “usurped the will of the City Council and its ability to represent its constituents” by canceling the city’s contract with SoundThinking.
Watch Johnson’s conversation with the media:
Mayor Brandon Johnson terminated Chicago’s contract with ShotSpotter after activists complained that the gunshot detection technology had racist undertones.
The City Council just voted to reinstate it, including many loyal Democrats.
Johnson was not happy about this: pic.twitter.com/Fazp6aZqxH
– End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) May 23, 2024
Johnson should see this room. Chicagoans want to feel safe.
