He’s helping pick Chicago’s next police superintendent. Here’s what he learned when he was robbed at gunpoint
CHICAGO -- Anthony Driver Jr. will remember the gun pressed to his stomach. It had a blue beam and a nervous young holder. Driver feared for his life.
“This little kid is scared,” he remembered thinking as he was being held up the night of Jan. 23. “And he’s going to actually kill me because he’s scared.”
The armed robbery is unforgettable for Driver, but not unique to him. Nearly 9,000 people were robbed in Chicago last year, according to police data.
However, unlike other victims, Driver is president of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, the seven-person group of community leaders tasked with helping Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson select a new Chicago police superintendent.
The experience showed him firsthand how crime victims can feel overlooked and raised conflicting feelings about punishment, mercy and proper policing for a man playing an important role in shaping the Police Department’s future. And the experience surfaced a clear critique for Driver: The Chicago policing system serves Chicagoans in different ways.
“It’s given me a firsthand look at what people in my community are experiencing when they call
