GIANNO CALDWELL: Chicago’s soft-on-crime policies continue to destroy families

Four years ago, I received a call that no family was to receive. My innocent young brother, Christian had been gunned down on the streets of Chicago. He was still a child, full of promise, full of life. It’s gone. This Saturday, I’m going back. Not crying. Marching.

Chicago is a prime example of how pro-crime policies are destroying families in our nation. It is the site of a political failure so profound and deliberate that its effects have spread to cities across America. Those who chose to put symbols of virtue before victims have turned one of America’s greatest cities into a graveyard of broken promises. The families who pay the price are not the politicians who make those promises. They are mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters who have lost not one, but in some cases, many loved ones to violent crime.

Are sanctuary city policies destroying these communities? Yes. Is the abolition of cash bail? Yes. Are elected officials who have fought more for criminals than for the community they were elected to serve? Yes. It’s all of the above and more.

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Illinois became the first state in the nation to completely eliminate cash bail with the SAFE-T Act, a law that allows judges to decide to release violent offenders without requiring them to post any money or bond — simply by signing a form promising to return to court. There is no money. There is no obligation. There is no result.

The results speak for themselves. In the first six months of 2026, Chicago recorded 210 murders, a nearly 6% increase compared to the same period in 2025, and 686 shooting incidents left 858 people injured or killed across the city. These are not statistics. These are people. These are families. These are stolen futures.

Others will point to the fact that nationally, homicide rates have fallen dramatically by 2025, reaching what researchers call the lowest rate since at least 1900. Good. But let’s be honest about why. That progress did not come from policies promoted by green urbanists. It came in spite of them.

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President Trump has ordered US Marshals Service Director Gadyaces Serralta to lead a coordinated crackdown on crime in America’s most dangerous cities, bringing together 31 federal agencies to take violent criminals off the streets. In Washington DC alone, murders are down 60 percent, robberies are down 50 percent, and carjackings are down 70 percent. The Memphis police force has made over 4,000 arrests. Nationally, US Marshals arrested more than 73,000 fugitives in 2025 alone. Now in 2026, with Chicago already trending upward, you can see exactly what happens if the city refuses that help. Mayor Brandon Johnson signed executive orders directing Chicago police to cooperate with federal agents, vowing publicly that his city will “never cooperate with ICE again.” Governor Pritzker sued the federal government instead of cooperating with it. Families pay that price.

The political class did not just choose to look away. In some cases, they openly disrespected the remaining families. A few weeks ago, Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal sat in front of Angel Families, meaning the families of Americans killed by illegal immigrants, and told them: “Unfortunately, this hearing is the fourth time in this committee that we’ve had a hearing on sanctuary cities. We could have done a lot more.” A member of Congress sat in front of grieving mothers and fathers and told them that their children’s lives are not worth his time. Let that sink in.

Jessica Gorman, whose 18-year-old daughter Sheridan was shot and killed on a Chicago lakefront while out with friends to see the Northern Lights, responded directly: “Thank you for telling me without telling me you’re here, but you don’t want to be there, for telling me you don’t care.” Sheridan was a freshman from Westchester County, New York, with his whole life mapped out in front of him. The man charged with murder, Jose Medina-Medina, is a Venezuelan who was apprehended by the US Border Patrol in May 2023 and released into the country under the Biden administration, even after officials flagged him as a possible fugitive and noted that he had no confirmed address or contact information. He was released due to lack of space. He was later arrested for burglary in Chicago and released before killing Sheridan. Chicago’s sanctuary policies made it possible. Governor Pritzker and Mayor Johnson’s leadership made it inevitable.

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Perhaps if they stopped enabling the policies that create Angel Families, Congressman Jayapal would not have so many hearings to complain about. They refused to give up. So we refuse to be silent.

The families of the victims who marched with me on Saturday know what it means to fail in a system created by elected officials who put criminals first. We begin our march at Morgan Park High School, where my brother Christian walked the halls and where, four years later, our family is still seeking the justice he deserves. We extend a direct invitation to Governor JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson: come march with us. Come and look these families in the face. Come see the damage your policies have caused. He has ruled behind podiums and press releases long enough. Come stand in front of people and your decisions have failed.

Chicago is where we start. But this war is for the whole country. This march is for every American family who has had a loved one buried while politicians make excuses. Angel Families has traveled to Washington several times, urging lawmakers to take action, but was told there were more important things to discuss. It belongs to every American family that deserves what so many are denied: leaders who put their safety first.

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When I founded the Caldwell Foundation for Public Safety in Christian’s memory, I made a promise that his death would not be in vain. That I will stand with the victims, amplify their voices, and make people in positions accountable. This Saturday, that promise hits the streets. We march in Christianity. We march Sheridan Gorman. We march for every family whose grief was taken as collateral by the people who were supposed to protect them.

The Community March Against Violence takes place on Saturday, July 25, at 10:00 AM at Morgan Park High School in Chicago. Register here.