CHICAGO — Supt. David Brown will meet Monday with President Joe Biden and leaders from around the country to discuss gun violence, according to reports.
The White House said last week the meeting will focus on what steps officials can take to prevent gun violence. Chicago and other major cities have seen such violence soar since the start of the pandemic — with few signs that will change anytime soon.
The Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet reports Brown will be among the attendees, as will Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington, D.C., and Eric Adams, expected to be the next mayor of New York City. Other officials have also been invited.
Chicago saw more than 100 people shot during the Fourth of July holiday weekend, putting a national spotlight on the city’s violence just days before Biden made a short visit.
On Wednesday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot met Biden at O’Hare Airport and briefly spoke with him. The mayor said their discussion focused on gun violence. She has long said Chicago needs federal help, including comprehensive gun control reform, to stop the shootings.
Chicago residents and gun-violence prevention advocates have said community groups and neighborhoods need long-term investment — financially and through other resources — to drive down shootings and end the things that lead to crime, like poverty.
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