Chicago has worked hard to make our neighborhoods safer. In the past year alone, homicides are down more than 30%, robberies are down 35%, and shootings are down nearly 40%. These gains didn’t come from military force. They came from community investment, smarter policing, and residents building trust with those sworn to protect them.

Now President Donald Trump has said Chicago could be the next city to see National Guard troops deployed as part of his “crime crackdown.” But flooding our streets with soldiers is not the answer. Our city is not a war zone, and our neighbors are not enemy combatants.

Deploying the National Guard here would only inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement at a time when rebuilding trust has never been more important. It would undo the progress we’ve made, spark fear in our communities, and risk unnecessary confrontations that put both civilians and service members in harm’s way.

The truth is simple: National Guard troops cannot fix Chicago’s challenges. They cannot fund public schools. They cannot provide mental health care or substance abuse treatment. They cannot solve our housing crisis or put food on the table for the one in four children who go to bed hungry in our city.

What works is investment — in housing, in education, in community safety programs, and in violence interrupters who know our neighborhoods. What works is local law enforcement officers who are accountable to the people they serve, not soldiers sent in from Washington to make a political point.

We call on President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and federal lawmakers in Congress to keep the National Guard out of Chicago. We stand with Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago City Council, who have made clear that our city’s path to safety is through investment, not occupation.

Chicago deserves real solutions, not military crackdowns. Sign this petition if you agree the National Guard has no place patrolling our neighborhoods.