At the end of a year that has seen more than 4,000 shooting victims in Chicago, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday signed into a law an amendment to historic criminal justice legislation aimed at providing millions of dollars to community organizations that focus on violence prevention.

       The new amendment comes a little over a month after the Pritzker administration issued an executive order that declared gun violence a public health emergency and called for more resources for groups that mediate street conflicts and connect those most prone to violence — either as a victim or perpetrator — with job training, mental health providers and other social services.

       The additional resources promised by Pritzker will draw from federal and state funding, including $50 million in the current state budget. Additionally, Pritzker laid out a proposal for more than $100 million in appropriations in each of the next two years for the anti-violence effort. That money is far from guaranteed as the governor has only said his administration would work with state legislators to secure the funding.

       Gov. J.B. Pritzker answers reporters' questions after signing an executive order, as he launches a public safety initiative to provide community-based solutions to prevent gun violence, during a news conference at the Breakthrough Urban Ministries FamilyPlex Nov. 1, 2021. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

       On Friday, the Pritzker administration announced that violence prevention groups across the state, through the Illinois Department of Human Services and its new Office of Firearm Violence Prevention, will be able to apply for grants made available through the funding.

       These anti-violence organizations employ convicted felons to make inroads with people most prone to violence.

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       “What comes along with this new perspective is understanding that you can’t look at violence in a silo, but rather understand the myriad different socioeconomic factors that interface with our social determinants of health,” state Rep. Justin Slaughter, a Chicago Democrat who was one of the chief sponsors of the new amendment, said during a news conference Friday with Pritzker and other officials.

       “(It’s) not really rocket science. Where you see significant lack of investments in education, economic development, housing, the environment, mental health services, you will also see a prevalence of violence,” Slaughter said.

       The amendment is part of broader, sweeping criminal justice legislation that Pritzker signed into law earlier this year that includes measures to eventually abolish cash bail and end requirements that citizens sign affidavits when filing complaints against police officers.

       While some Senate Republicans in the General Assembly supported the new amendment, the GOP has been overwhelmingly against the full legislation, believing it’s anti-police and too lenient on criminals.

       The legislation has become a catalyst for Republicans going into the 2022 election to accuse Democrat leadership in Illinois of doing nothing to combat the type of violence that has jumped throughout the state and across the nation amid the coronavirus pandemic.

       In Chicago, there were 741 homicides through November, a 59% increase from the same point in 2019 when 465 people were slain, according to official Chicago police statistics. Moreover, there were 4,077 people shot in Chicago through November, a jump of about 70% from the first 11 months of 2019 when 2,403 people were shot, the statistics show. The numbers do not include shootings on Chicago-area expressways.

       On Friday, Illinois House GOP Leader Jim Durkin released a statement criticizing the legislation and top Democrats, including Pritzker, for creating “a ‘consequence-free’ Illinois for organized street gangs and criminals.”

       “Their collective dismissal of victims and law enforcement during this time will not be forgotten,” Durkin said. “My heart goes out to the thousands of victims of crime that our government continues to fail.”

       At the Friday news conference, Pritzker said Republicans have only been calling for more prison time for lawbreakers and “cracking down” with “slogans around law and order,” philosophies that progressives have argued are not effective.

       “What we Democrats have done is actually invest in fighting crime, and actually investing in our communities, investing in the community organizations that make a difference on the ground,” said Pritzker said.

       jgorner@chicagotribune.com

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