Arne Duncan

A Chicago police officer processes a shooting scene Aug. 30, 2022, on Madison Street at Pulaski Road in Chicago.

Arne Duncan: Plan to make Chicago safer: Violence prevention at scale, more effective policing and business buy-in

October 10, 2022 at 6:21 p.m.

Last month, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski spoke at a business luncheon about crime and violence and asked a very basic question: "What's the plan?" His question is especially urgent because...

Former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visits students at the Chicago Vocational Career Academy in 2017.

Arne Duncan: Why I’m not running for mayor of Chicago

March 9, 2022 at 8:58 p.m.

After a couple of months of reflection and dialogue with friends and colleagues who encouraged me to think about running for mayor of Chicago, I decided not to run. The...

A backlog of firearms to be processed at the Chicago police firearms laboratory at the Homan Square police facility on June 9, 2021.

Op-ed: My group’s violence prevention efforts have taught me what works and what doesn’t

January 3, 2022 at 9:28 p.m.

After two terrible years in which gun violence has taken the lives of nearly 1,600 people in Chicago and left thousands more wounded, we are all emotionally drained. That includes...

Chicago police officers watch the procession of police vehicles leading the ambulance carrying the body of a fellow officer as it arrives at the Cook County medical examiner.

Op-ed: To move forward after Ella French’s death, Chicago must address root causes of gun violence

August 17, 2021 at 1:57 p.m.

The shooting death of Chicago police Officer Ella French, the critical wounding of her partner, and the alarming increase in the number of Chicago cops who have faced gunfire this...

Trump supporters participate in a rally Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C.

Op-ed: It’s obvious we need to restore civics education

January 13, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.

If the last five years in American politics have taught us one thing, it is that we can all use a refresher course in civics. The events of Jan. 6...

People gather at Operation Wake-Up, a community event organized by the Chicago Police Department, at 61st and Halsted streets in Chicago on June 29, 2020. The event is meant to raise community awareness about violent crime in the area.

Commentary: Chicago’s violence brings despair, but there is hope for our young men

July 1, 2020 at 7:34 p.m.

It's been a rough 2020 for Chicago. At the halfway mark, more than 1,200 people have been shot and nearly 300 killed , an enormous increase over last year at...

Vanessa Perry DeReef, of the Metropolitan Peace Academy, in the classroom at Kennedy-King College in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood Oct. 1, 2019. The academy is an initiative of Communities Partnering 4 Peace.

Commentary: Chicago Forward — Violence reduction goes hand in hand with reaching disconnected youth

July 25, 2024 at 1:55 p.m.

Something important is happening in Chicago. The Philadelphia Inquirer gets it. Here's the headline from the paper's Jan. 10 editorial: "Important lessons for Philadelphia from Chicago's three-year decline in gun...

Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, center, after a speech at a campaign stop at Olive-Harvey College in Chicago on Jan. 8, 2020.

Commentary: Michael Bloomberg, Arne Duncan: The U.S. economy isn’t working for too many Americans

January 9, 2020 at 10:51 p.m.

President Donald Trump is hoping to win reelection on the economy, but the stats that he likes to tweet about — such as the value of the stock market and...

Protesters and members of the Chicago Teachers Union march outside Chicago Public Schools headquarters downtown on June 28, 2017.

Corporate help for CPS? Here’s how it can work

May 31, 2019 at 9:21 p.m.

No matter how hard educators try, they don’t have the means to ensure educational opportunity, let alone future success, for every student. We learned this important truth in our past...

Jalen Phillips, 12, kneels at a makeshift memorial for 2-year-old shooting victim Julien Gonzalez on Oct. 8, 2018. Gonzalez is Chicago's youngest fatal shooting victim of the year. Phillips said he was "thinking how the world should change because of the guns."

Why we should fund violence prevention in Chicago

May 31, 2019 at 9:19 p.m.

We’ve heard it time and again: A budget is a reflection of our values. With the unveiling of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s 2019 budget, one has to ask — what are...

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