Public commenters urge Cook County to boost youth employment and support community violence intervention groups

Multiple public speakers used the board’s public comment period to urge the county to expand youth employment opportunities, support community violence intervention programs and sustain transparency in employment data collection.

Reverend James Phipps, a longtime community advocate, urged commissioners to promote summer jobs for young people as a violence‑prevention and opportunity strategy, saying communities must “dig deep and find ways and find money where we can put our children at work.”

Sheila Regan, chief operating officer of Aklavis Incorporated, described the organization’s work and asked the board for funding support. “We are a public health organization. To us, community is the key to our effectiveness,” Regan said. She told the board that Aklavis employs more than 130 staff, provides community violence intervention in nine communities across the Chicagoland area and Cook County, provides 24/7 response to six hospitals including Cook County hospitals, and served over 1,600 patients last year. She said Aklavis conducted more than 1,200 conflict mediations and provides workforce development and behavioral‑health services.

Dr. Alvin Tillery of Northwestern University spoke in favor of the board’s pending resolution encouraging transparency and accountability in employment practices. Tillery framed the issue in civil‑rights terms and urged the county to back practices that keep employers auditing hiring outcomes and monitoring Equal Employment Opportunity data where available.

Speakers asked the board to sustain or expand funding for community‑based violence intervention programs and to ensure summer jobs and workforce programs reach the neighborhoods where young people are most at risk. No specific funding motion for Aklavis appeared on the board’s floor during this meeting; public comments were recorded for the record and several commissioners thanked speakers for their presentations.