Chicago mayor repeatedly dodges MSNBC questions about whether city needs more police

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson dodged repeated questions from MSNBC host Joe Scarborough on Tuesday about whether an increased police presence in the city would help cut down on crime Do you believe that the streets of Chicago would be safer if there were more uniformed police officers on the streets of Chicago Scarborough sought Johnson Scarborough posed the question to the liberal Chicago mayor multiple times Johnson instead emphasized the need for expanded social programs including affordable housing I believe the city of Chicago and cities across America would be safer if we indeed had you know affordable housing Look I m not saying Johnson began before Scarborough cut him off noting it wasn t the question he had appealed TRUMP'S WEEK SHAPED BY CRIME AGENDA PROBABLE GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO CHICAGOScarborough pressed again asking if more officers would reduce crime Johnson mentioned it shouldn t be narrowed down to police alone calling that an antiquated approach Are you hearing what I m saying Scarborough pressed again I m agreeing with you that all of these other social programs are extraordinarily fundamental I just need a yes or a no and then this will be the last time I ask If you get all of those other social programs that million that New York City does Los Angeles other people do with great success Would an additional cops on the streets in Chicago help complement those programs to make Chicago safer Johnson then argued it was about a combination of policing and social programs We are working hard to make sure our police department is fully supported I don t believe that just putting out an arbitrary number of officers is the answer What I m saying is it s policing and affordable housing It s policing and mental and behavioral healthcare care It s policing and youth employment It s a full package Johnson reported Of class we want to make sure our police department is fully supported MSNBC S JOE SCARBOROUGH ADMITS SO A GREAT NUMBER OF DEMOCRATS ARE SECRETLY CHEERING TRUMP S DC CRIME CRACKDOWNHis remarks came as President Donald Trump stated he planned to use federal officers to next crack down on crime in Chicago Johnson announced Sunday that Trump's plan to send the National Guard to the city was a flagrant violation of our Constitution Trump hinted at cracking down on crime in Chicago on Friday while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office This comes after he ordered the National Guard into Washington D C to address crime The president called Johnson grossly incompetent and revealed his administration would handle the city next He also claimed the people of Chicago were screaming for federal assistance in cutting down the crime rate CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTUREGov J B Pritzker D-Ill accused Trump of trying to manufacture a dilemma in Chicago The State of Illinois at this time has received no requests or outreach from the federal ruling body asking if we need assistance and we have made no requests for federal intervention the governor announced in a comment on Saturday