Coordinated, Called & Sound: A CRS Response

News out of Washington is that Chicago is next on the President’s list of cities where he wants to deploy federal troops to “crack down on crime.” We’ve already seen the dangers of this approach in Washington, D.C., where residents are raising serious concerns about militarization under the guise of “public safety.”  

But the good news is this: Chicago’s leaders did not waver. Governor Jay Robert (JB) Pritzker called it a manufactured crisis—politicizing the military for spectacle, not service. Mayor Brandon Johnson rightly named it for what it is: uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound. At Community Renewal Society (CRS), we agree. And believe in this moment, we must embody the opposite: coordinated in strategy, called in purpose, and sound in our approach. 

Let’s be clear: crime in Chicago is down, as confirmed by a recent WBEZ report. This is not about safety. What we’ve seen in D.C. suggests it’s about delegitimizing local leaders who challenge the President and his authoritarian tactics. True safety doesn’t come from troops on our streets. It comes from partnerships between communities and local governments, investments in care, and coalitions of trust. 

The National Guard was once deployed to integrate schools, to protect the Little Rock Nine from mobs and defiant governors. Today, it is being invoked as a weapon of fear. These antics do not keep anyone safe. They hurl us back toward a segregated past, attempting to silence Chicago’s potential and fracture our future. 

Though this feels like unprecedented terrain, I’d like to remind us that Chicago has always been a city of courage. When past city officials once ordered churches not to work with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a handful of congregations defied them and stood firm. That spirit lives today in leaders like Rev. Dr. Kenneth D. Phelps of Concord Missionary Baptist Church, who showed real solidarity as his community welcomed Venezuelan migrants despite fear and skepticism. When people work together, transformation happens. 

This administration has already weaponized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to disappear families. The threat of the National Guard is yet another distraction from justice. But as Chicago-based artist Benji Hart reminds us in his article about Black & Brown solidarity, amazing things happen when communities lean into collective resistance.  

We must not shrink before threats of troops. We, too, are soldiers, yet not self-righteous but righteous in the fight for justice. As churches, faith institutions, and communities, let us continue coordinated, let us call on our neighbors, and be of one sound. 

Be sure to follow CRS on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on resources and calls to action in the days ahead.

With Love and Lament,

Keron Blair
Community Impact and Special Projects Consultant

Malcolm London

And the staff of Community Renewal Society