The U.S. Division of Justice launched an investigation into the town of Chicago after Mayor Brandon Johnson touted the variety of Black officers in his administration whereas talking at a church on Sunday.
The DOJ introduced the probe on Monday in a letter addressed to Johnson from the pinnacle of the division’s civil rights division, Harmeet Dhillon.
“So once we say, our individuals, rent our individuals, I simply wish to identify this,” Johnson mentioned whereas talking on the Apostolic Church of God.
The mayor mentioned that in different administrations the vast majority of the town’s workers have been white, however famous that underneath his management 45% of the administration is Black, 25% is Latino, 30% is white and eight% is Asian.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks to demonstrators in Grant Park who have been protesting the insurance policies of President Donald Trump and exhibiting their assist for union labor, on Could 1, 2025, in Chicago.
Scott Olson/Getty Photographs, FILE
“It’s the most various administration within the historical past of Chicago. And here is why I am naming it is because there are some detractors that may push again on me and say, you realize, the one factor [the] mayor talks about is the hiring of Black individuals,” Johnson mentioned. “No, what I am saying is, while you rent our individuals, we at all times look out for everyone else. We’re essentially the most beneficiant individuals on the planet.”
In line with Chicago ABC station WLS, Johnson’s feedback went viral and caused an uproar on social media, with some customers calling for an investigation.
Dhillon straight cited Johnson’s feedback within the letter and mentioned that the investigation is “based mostly on data suggesting that you’ve got made hiring choices solely on the premise of race.”
The letter additionally pointed to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 — a federal regulation that prohibits employment discrimination based mostly on race, shade, faith, intercourse and nationwide origin.
ABC Information reached out to Johnson’s workplace for remark.
Johnson, who said in a March interview that the “soul of Chicago” is its “multi-ethnic coalition,” mentioned in his remarks on Sunday that having a various administration will assist “make sure that our individuals get an opportunity to develop their enterprise.”
“Having individuals in my administration that may look out for the curiosity of everybody and everybody means you must look out for the pursuits of Black people, as a result of that hasn’t occurred,” Johnson mentioned. “That is how we guarantee long-term sustainable development.”
On this Nov. 2022, file picture, Chicago mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson rallies with SEIU Native 73 President Dian Palmer and different union members as they announce their endorsement of his marketing campaign.
Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune through TNS through Getty Photographs, FILE
Johnson, a former Cook dinner County commissioner and trainer, won the mayoral race in April 2023 after operating a progressive marketing campaign with a platform targeted on addressing racial and financial disparities within the metropolis.
“I hear individuals wanting extra,” Johnson mentioned in March when requested what Black Chicagoans need — whom he mentioned have been traditionally underserved within the metropolis — throughout an interview with The Triibe, a Black media outlet in Chicago. Talking about financial inequalities, Johnson mentioned through the interview that “our ache is so deep and so extreme,” so the investments within the Black group “need to go deep and large.”
“One of many first issues that I did was it isn’t sufficient to win the facility, you must defend the facility,” Johnson mentioned through the interview whereas touting his administration’s hiring of Black officers. “And the very first thing that I did for our individuals was made certain that I put key Black individuals in positions of energy to guard it.”
The DOJ investigation comes amid a sweeping crackdown by the Trump administration on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices within the federal authorities and within the personal sector.
The president issued a collection of govt orders after taking workplace in January wherein he mandated that his administration work to finish DEI practices — insurance policies and pointers that he known as “unlawful and immoral discrimination packages.”
ABC Information has reached out to the DOJ for additional remark.
