Chicago’s 48th Ward Alderman’s Decision to Ignore Criminality is Failing Her Constituents in Fight Against Crime
Alderman Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth seems to be living in another reality
First-term Alderman Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth of the 48th Ward hadn't attracted much notice for her work in the City Council until this spring, when CWB Chicago reported that her office would no longer deliver crime alerts to constituents on social media accounts or official emails, unless residents opted-in to be informed about them.
The reason?
As stated in the May 29 edition of the 48th Ward newsletter, Manaa-Hoppenworth’s grievance is that "over-reporting of crime leads to an inaccurate public perception about violent crime rates and negatively impacts our most marginalized and underserved neighbors."
The 48th Ward includes Andersonville and parts of Uptown and Edgewater on the North Side.
Manaa-Hoppenworth is a member of the City Council’s Progressive Caucus.
As discussed in an earlier Contrarian essay, elected officials and the local media are gaslighting Chicagoans on lawlessness. That disinformation effort was best exemplified by Crain's Amy Guth in her Daily Gist podcast, when she remarked to the newspaper's real estate reporter, Dennis Rodkin: "As you've pointed out many times, there's crime — and perception of crime — and those are two very different things."
No, they are not. When there is more crime in their neighborhood, residents quickly figure that out. Chicagoans are not as oblivious as Manaa-Hoppenworth or the legacy media believes them to be.
While reporting on Manaa-Hoppenworth's change on crime alerts, CWB Chicago wrote:
"Year-to-date shooting incidents in the 48th ward are at the highest level since 2015, according to the city’s data portal. As of May 13, 41 robberies had been reported this year in Manaa-Hoppenworth’s ward. That’s up 78 percent compared to the same time last year, and it’s the highest number of year-to-date robberies since2012."
Moving ahead to early November, while she was a guest on the City Dweller podcast, Manaa-Hoppenworth commented on public safety. Chicago politicians often avoid the "C" word, meaning crime. Manaa-Hoppenworth rarely uses it.
"Public safety is the number one on everybody's mind, but it also speaks to the definition of public safety for each of those [48th Ward] neighborhoods. For some neighborhoods, truly, public safety means 'I want to be able to walk outside and walk my dog at all hours of the day and I don't feel safe.' And for some people it's 'I want to be able to take the bus or the train at all hours of the day -- or be able to walk to school or walk to work and not feel like I'm going to be harassed.' And for some people it's 'I want to be able to walk across the street without being hit by a car’ or 'I want to be able to ride my bike to work and not feel like I'm going to be hit by a car.'"
However, for most people, public safety means residents are allowed to walk the streets free from the fear of being robbed, burglarized, carjacked, or shot.
Six days before the City Dweller podcast was released, a man was shot in the arm and a nine-year-old suffered a graze wound outside of Goudy School in Uptown just as classes were ending for the day.
"Any instance of gun violence is unacceptable," Menaa-Hoppenworth remarked to CBS Chicago about those shootings, “but when it's very close to our schools, when it's in a school zone, we all have to be on high alert."
"Alert," but not "alerts," because as we know only those 48th Ward constituents who opt-in to receive crime updates from Menaa-Hoppenworth will receive aldermanic notice of them.
But what is most important to Menaa-Hoppenworth regarding public safety?
"And so, for me, right now, at the top of my mind,” she said on the City Dweller podcast, “are the infrastructure projects that we have going on that we're working on with multiple alderpeople and multiple agencies in Chicago."
Under our interpretation of the alderman’s words, this means if you are assaulted on a new bicycle path, the 48th Ward alderman has your back.
It is not quite accurate to call Menaa-Hoppenworth soft on crime. Instead, a fair characterization of her position on the conditions of the streets is she prefers to ignore crime.
You may have an aunt who is diabetic and who eats whatever she wants — and never checks her glucose levels. Perhaps you have an obese brother who never weighs himself — he doesn't even own a scale — who also eats whatever he wants and blames his clothes not fitting anymore on a malfunctioning washing machine cleaning his laundry in hot water rather than warm.
Regarding crime, this is Menaa-Hoppenworth worldview.
One of the lessons from the 2024 presidential election is that identity politics are not well received anymore. Even Vice President Kamala Harris correctly read the room. She rarely mentioned her gender or race when she campaigned.
Throughout her public life, the 48th Ward alderman has leaned heavily on identity. For instance, earlier this year while a guest on the Meet Your Alderman podcast she said:
"I'm a woman of color, you know, the daughter of Filipino immigrants, and I'm a queer woman of color, a mother, and you know, I live in Andersonville, which is considered one of the most inclusive areas for LGBTQ+ people."
Most Chicagoans prefer to be served by an alderman who listens and responds to constituents’ needs — regardless of that City Council member's race, gender, or who their significant other is.
Shortly before her victory in her City Council race, WTTW asked Manaa-Hoppenworth: "What do you see as potential solutions to address the number of shootings in Chicago?"
It's no surprise that the alderman’s response didn't include any mention of arresting offenders or hiring more police officers.
“Our young people are not the problem — they must instead be part of the solution. And they’re telling us what they need. I have long been a supporter of GoodKids MadCity’s Peace Book ordinance. As opposed to the punitive, reactive vision of the gang database, the Peace Book shows us the way to build a healthy city together, where our young people have better options than joining gangs and turning to a dead-end life of crime and violence.”
Young people who fire guns are absolutely part of the problem.
As for GoodKids MadCity’s Peace Book ordinance, it's one of those proposals to divert money from police budgets — and using those funds to hire young "peacekeepers" to defuse potentially violent situations.
Despite her unshakable faint in Peacekeepers, thus far the violence interrupters have been unable to put a dent into Chicago’s crime epidemic.
If you live in the 48th Ward and you are unhappy about the way things are in your neighborhood, speak up.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, a former alderman of the 4th Ward, surprisingly had some wise words a few years ago on her The 80 podcast about being a member of the City Council.
"This is the best job in Chicago politics, being an alderman," she explained. “First of all, because you are the closest to your constituents, and you can have the most impact on their lives, you know — and I always say, people mail the mayor but they're more likely to mail their alderman."
City Council members theoretically should be the most effective information conduit for Chicagoans to express concerns about crime to police district commanders. Nevertheless, if your alderman chooses to ignore law-breaking, you may have to press hard. So, to use Preckwinkle’s words, definitely “mail your alderman.” Send them many letters.
Of course, there are other ways besides mailing a letter to contact Manaa-Hoppenworth or any other tin-eared alderman. You can email them, comment on their social media feeds, call their offices, or attend their ward nights.
In several podcasts, Manaa-Hoppenworth has decried low voter turnout in elections.
In a little more than two years, if she runs for reelection, Manaa-Hoppenworth will face voters again.
Doing nothing on Election Day is unwise, she believes.
“Because not voting is not the answer,” Manaa-Hoppenworth said on the City Dweller podcast, “it is not the answer.”
