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Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel greets fans at a viewing party of the United States vs Belgium match during the World Cup at Soldier Field on July 1, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images)

The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that Chicago leaders this week unveiled a “road map” to combat violence.

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The report and recommendations, released Tuesday by Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Commission for a Safer Chicago, are aimed at tackling youth violence in the city. It came just days after the city was rankled by last weekend’s death of college prep student Demario Bailey, who was shot defending his twin brother, Demacio, from robbers.

“This weekend, all of us were reminded of the urgency of this work,” Emanuel said, according to the Sun-Times. He added that Demario’s death highlights “the importance of not letting the new report ‘gather dust.’”

The Sun-Times reports:

The Report, entitled “Mayor’s Commission for a Safer Chicago,” was a collaborative effort involving city staff, religious leaders, parents and youth — among others.

The commission’s task was to make recommendations to tackle city violence “that build on current investments and leverage existing city and community resources.”

Some of the recommendations include: creating a “training bridge” for kids to build on skills they learned during city summer jobs programs; enlisting “high-profile ambassadors” to help promote city youth programs; create a pilot “homicide crisis response” model that helps surviving victims deal with the emotional trauma of violence.

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The timing of the report represents smart messaging for Mayor Emanuel, who earlier this month kicked off his re-election campaign to run the city for four more years.

Emanuel is in need of an assist to win again. A Chicago Tribune poll in August, the most recent available, found his approval rating was down to 35 percent, with every major demographic in the city unsatisfied with his job performance. Complaints range from appearing out of touch on issues such as poverty, public education, housing and the city’s homicide rate. We, like the mayor, also hope that the report does not gather dust.

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