Former U.S. Secretary of Education and Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan joined AM 560’s Chicago’s Morning Answer to discuss the city’s public safety crisis and his work with Chicago CRED, a nonprofit violence prevention initiative. The conversation came as state and local leaders push back on the possibility of National Guard or ICE deployments under the Trump administration.
Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton recently dismissed the idea of federal intervention, calling it a “manufactured crisis” and warning that it would “crush rights.” Duncan, while careful to separate the Guard members themselves from political leadership, also voiced concern about deploying troops domestically, saying it was “a major problem” to use personnel trained for war on U.S. soil. At the same time, he stressed that if they came to Chicago, they should be treated “with the utmost respect.”
Chicago CRED’s Approach
Duncan outlined the work of Chicago CRED, which has operated for nine years across the city’s South and West Sides. The program targets individuals most at risk of shooting or being shot, pairing them with life coaches, trauma clinicians, and pathways to education and employment. Participants often spend a year in the program, culminating in job opportunities and, for many, high school diplomas. A recent graduation ceremony celebrated more than 100 new graduates.
Independent research from Northwestern University has found a 73% reduction in violent arrests among CRED participants. Duncan pointed to those results and broader citywide trends, noting that Chicago just experienced its “safest summer since 1965.” While acknowledging that violence remains far too high, he argued the combination of community-based intervention and employment opportunities is making a measurable impact.
Guns, Arrests, and Accountability
One striking trend, Duncan said, is that both violence and arrests are down. “That’s the sweet spot,” he explained, suggesting that fewer arrests combined with fewer shootings means the city is becoming safer without increasing incarceration rates. He credited Governor J.B. Pritzker for expanding support for peacekeepers — more than 1,000 individuals now working block by block across some of Chicago’s most violent neighborhoods.
Asked about the role of firearms, Duncan emphasized that the majority of guns used in Chicago crimes come from neighboring states with looser gun laws. He argued that stemming the flow of illegal weapons into Illinois would significantly reduce shootings, urging federal authorities to target gun trafficking routes rather than local communities. “If we have fewer guns, we will have less crime,” he said.
A Broader Debate on Solutions
While Duncan praised violence prevention strategies like those used by Chicago CRED, Proft challenged the idea that simply reducing the number of guns in circulation is an effective or realistic solution. He pointed out that Chicago had higher violence during periods when handgun ownership was banned, and noted that many legally owned firearms never contribute to crime. Duncan acknowledged that legal gun ownership is not the problem, but maintained that illegal gun trafficking remains central to Chicago’s crisis.
On the political rhetoric surrounding federal law enforcement, Duncan distanced himself from some of the harsher language used by state officials. “The National Guard are very good human beings with families like all of us,” he said. Still, he underscored his preference for community-driven solutions that address trauma, education, and employment rather than relying on military intervention.