BET: Black Mayors Push Back: Brandon Johnson and Rex Richardson Defend Their Cities Against Misleading Attacks

Jasmine Browley, BET

As attacks mount against Black-led cities across the country, two big-city leaders—Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson—say their records tell a different story: communities are now safer, stronger, and more resilient than critics want the public to believe.

Chicago’s Numbers Paint a Different Picture

As the federal government threatens to continue deploying the National Guard to cities led by Black mayors, Chicago’s Brandon Johnson and Long Beach’s Rex Richardson say the story being told about their communities misses the truth: under their leadership, crime is falling, opportunities are expanding, and resilience is the defining headline.

Chicago, in particular, is the latest city on the list to be targeted for crime rates , unsurprisingly, since it has long been a lightning rod for political attacks and often branded as the face of urban violence. But Johnson insists those narratives ignore the facts.

“Well, first of all, it’s just not true,” he says BET. “We’ve had our shared challenges, of course, but we are not the most violent space in the entire world. In fact, in many instances, we’re not even in the top 20.” 

The data backs him up. Between July 2024 and June 2025, the city recorded 498 homicides—the lowest total in a decade. Johnson says that progress comes from investing in people, not just policing. 

“When people lose their lives to gun violence, that’s not something that you can hide,” Johnson says. “The safest communities in America all have one thing in common: they invest in people. That’s exactly what we’ve done.”

This year alone, homicides dropped 32%, shootings nearly 40%, and robberies 32% according to data reports. Beyond crime stats, Johnson pointed to more than 30,000 summer youth jobs, the reopening of mental health clinics, and a pipeline of 10,000 affordable housing units under construction.

“We just continue to live in our truth,” he adds. “And that’s what I’m doing as mayor.”

Long Beach Balances Port, Policy, and People

For Rex Richardson, the first Black mayor of Long Beach, Calif., the stakes are different but no less urgent. His city of more than half a million residents—larger than Miami or St. Louis—sits at the heart of global trade, where nearly half of all U.S. imports pass through the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

“When there’s trade policy like tariffs and trade wars, it impacts us in two ways,” Richardson says to BET. “Not just the inflation that everybody sees, but also local impacts to jobs, because one in five jobs in our community is port-related.”

Richardson has pushed back with local solutions, creating the Tariff Relief Fund to support small businesses and a $5 million “Defending Our Values” package to help families impacted by immigration raids. 

“We are the ones stepping up with local dollars to make those things happen,” he says. “It’s mayors in cities—it’s Black mayors—who are driving historic reductions in crime all across America.”

In Long Beach, his Strong Beach initiative has cut violent crime by 30% by pairing policing investments with expanded youth opportunities.

And his Long Beach College Promise program guarantees local high school graduates a pathway to higher education or workforce training. “Simply work hard, get an education, get a certificate, and the opportunities are here for you,” Richardson said.

A Moment of Black Leadership

Both Johnson and Richardson are part of a wave: More Black mayors now lead major U.S. cities than at any point in history. They say that leadership is reshaping the national conversation—if the country is willing to listen.

“There’s a reality that you’re going to get 100% of the blame when things go wrong but only about 25% of the credit when they go right,” Richardson noted. “Despite that, our communities are thriving, and we’re being wildly successful. The data proves it.”

For Johnson, the proof is in Chicago’s comeback: “We have the top universities. We have the strongest workforce. You come to Chicago, get a good-paying job, and you are going to eat well every day. Without a doubt, that’s the best city in the world.”

Both mayors agree the national narrative is overdue for a rewrite. “Maybe it’s time for mayors to lead a larger national conversation,” Richardson said. “The world stage is coming to our cities. The innovation is happening in the cities. That’s where hope lives.”

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