With summertime murders at a historic low, we can see the impact of investments in youth jobs, mental health, and violence prevention programs—not policing—on violent crime.

In a new op-ed, Health & Medicine Policy Director Wesley Epplin shares his support for a community safety surcharge, proposed by Mayor Brandon Johnson, to keep funding solutions that work. He makes the case that the Chicago City Council should accept this proposal, or even take stronger measures to support critical programming, especially the Chicago Department of Public Health’s budget.

Read his full op-ed here.