Chicago City Wire

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has appointed Garien Gatewood to the newly created position of Chicago’s Deputy Mayor of Community Safety.

Gatewood is a proponent of the no cash bail. He has been quoted as saying his goal is reducing jail populations .

“I am humbled by this opportunity to advance a holistic and comprehensive approach to community safety,” Gatewood said in a City of Chicago press release. 

“I’ve worked with the young people of Chicago for years, and I know that together we can deliver on a vision for a stronger, safer city that addresses the root causes of violence, provides support for youth and adults alike, and lifts up every neighborhood.” 

Gatewood has been involved in anti-detention efforts in his various public-facing roles including as an appointee by Gov. J.B. Pritzker as program director to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. He is also co-chair of Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice’s 21st Century Illinois Transformation Model and on the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center Advisory Board. Gatewood left his position as Director of the Illinois Justice Project to take the position.

The role was created on Johnson's first day in office. 

The office makes Gatewood “responsible for coordination and communication between all applicable City departments and officials related to the City's efforts to eradicate the root causes of crime, violence, and harm, and to advance a holistic and comprehensive approach to community safety.”

Gatewood's has noted the controversy of his vision.

“There’s going to continue to be opposition, but we see a ton of excitement from folks in the community and stakeholders responsible for implementation,” Gatewood said in an article posted by Arnold Ventures. 

“We want to keep that momentum as we work toward implementation and the ultimate goal of lowering jail populations."

The Illinois Justice Project noted his appointment in a statement of their own saying Gatewood “advocated for the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) program, which uses taxes generated from legal cannabis sales to fund community organizations working to address those harms. While serving as chairman of Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority budget committee, Gatewood was directly involved in allocating funds to support efforts like alternative emergency responses for people experiencing mental health crises.” 

Gatewood similarly works in a role for Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority to disburse public funds aimed at decarceration efforts.

He is also a member of the state’s Coalition to End Money Bond. 

The Coalition to End Money Bond is a coalition of organizations with the goal of putting an end to jailing those incarcerated on charges alone and awaiting an initial hearing. The effort is described on its website as aimed at “tackling bail reform and the abolition of money bond as part of its member organizations’ larger efforts to achieve racial and economic justice for all residents of Cook County.” 

Gatewood was a supporter of the Safe-T Act which eliminated cash bail in the state for even the worst crimes in some instances. The Safe-T Act was ruled unconstitutional by a Kankakee judge and is pending a ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court.

He holds a law degree from the University of Mississippi and is a former clerk for the Southern Poverty Law Center.