Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s press conference announcing next steps after the resignation of the city’s school board was interrupted multiple times by protesters, creating an often-tense scene.
Multiple groups vocally opposed to Johnson’s actions disrupted the mayor’s opening statement on multiple occasions, with a grouping holding “Fire Johnson” signs and chanting “not legit” during his remarks.
Johnson pushed back against those criticisms, pointing to his activism on behalf of the city’s schools before he was elected mayor in 2023.
“The most legitimate existence of anyone in this country is the existence of a Black mayor,” he said. “I understand there are individuals who wish to use this as a political opportunity to sow seeds of doubt, but make no mistake about it: I’m going to stand firm and flat-footed to ensure that our students get what they deserve. I was legitimate when I took arrest against the administration when they were closing down Black schools. I was also legitimate when I went down to Springfield to fight for a fully elected school board.”
Later in his opening remarks, a group of pro-Palestinian protesters also began to shout, accusing Johnson of not taking a firm stand in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Johnson, who cast a tiebreaking vote for a City Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in the conflict, said he “appreciated the energy” of the protesters, but said that actions in office don’t have immediate results.
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“As you can tell, they clearly expect a Black man to do everything in less than two years,” he said. “I do appreciate the energy, because I do know that if things were still, it would mean that we were moving status quo, but the fact that things are moving and shifting, it means I’m doing exactly what I was elected to do.”
The controversy over the school board began when Johnson began pushing for Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez to either be fired or to resign. He encountered resistance to the idea from the school board, who have final say over Martinez’s contract.
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On Friday, the board’s members abruptly resigned, sparking a new wave of concern at both the local and state level.
In response, Johnson appointed six new members to the board in an effort to stabilize the situation, but has encountered more criticism from activism groups and the Chicago City Council, with a majority of the members of that body signing a letter expressing concerns over the mayor’s handling of the situation.
The mayor dismissed those concerns, saying he was confident in his ability to navigate the crisis and to appoint members that share his goals for the district.
“(The) City Council can have as many hearings as they want. There is only one person that has the authority to make appointments. That’s the mayor,” he said.
