Politics

Mayor Brandon Johnson Names New Deputy Mayor for Community Safety After High-Profile Firing

Mayor Brandon Johnson named a new deputy mayor for community safety Wednesday, moving swiftly to replace Garien Gatewood, whose public firing less than three weeks ago ignited a firestorm of controversy.

Johnson’s new top public safety adviser will be Emmanuel Andre, the deputy Cook County public defender, the mayor’s spokesperson announced.

The first day for Andre, 47, a father of four who lives in Rogers Park, will be April 20. His appointment does not require the approval of the Chicago City Council.

Andre said he would double down on efforts to reduce crime and violence in Chicago using a “restorative-based lens” that addresses the root causes of harm by investing in communities and people.

That means “not just asking what crime was committed and who needs to be punished,” Andre told WTTW News. “But more so, what do we need to heal? What do we need to help build back this fabric, this community fabric? And I think that’s the critical question of our time.”

Andre said he would work to implement Johnson’s public safety agenda, which the mayor has dubbed the “People’s Plan for Community Safety.” That plan emphasizes the need for robust violence prevention programs, not just an effective law enforcement response.

A spokesperson for the mayor praised Andre as “a visionary systems architect, litigator and restorative justice pioneer dedicated to ensuring that public safety is rooted in joy and community care.”

Before joining Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell’s office in 2021, Andre helped found Cook County’s Restorative Justice Community Courts and Circles and Ciphers, “a hip-hop infused restorative justice organization led by and for young people impacted by violence.”

Mitchell in a statement said Andre brought “thoughtful leadership and a deep commitment to our mission to protect the rights and dignity of our clients.” 

“Emmanuel was instrumental in the launch of our community-based Freedom Defense Centers in Austin and Roseland,” Mitchell said. “He led a deliberate and intentional process to establish community trust, support, and input — ensuring the centers reflect the needs and priorities of the people they serve.”

Johnson appointed Andre to serve on the committee charged with finding a replacement for Inspector General Deborah Witzburg, who is set to leave office later this month. Andre has resigned from that role, a spokesperson for the mayor said.

The political conflagration that greeted Johnson’s termination of Gatewood did not make Andre think twice about leaving the public defender’s office to take a job in Johnson’s cabinet, Andre said. Gatewood earned more than $184,000 in 2025, records show.

“To be very frank with you, it actually made it more urgent,” Andre said. “This work is too critical for us to be sidetracked.”

After Gatewood was fired, Johnson told reporters that he was not changing course from the strategy that Gatewood helped craft and implement for nearly three years in office. Johnson has credited that plan with helping reduce homicides and violent crime in Chicago to the lowest point in 60 years.

“This is not just about me,” Andre said. “This is about the history of movement in this space, and how we got to where we got to, where that’s not just going back to just crime and punishment as the end all, be all of everything ‘cause we’ve known that, we’ve seen the results that’s given us.”

Violent crime dropped nearly 23% last year, and homicides dropped by approximately 29% as compared with 2024, according to city data.

However, since the start of 2026, the number -of people killed has risen 4%, while the number of people shot rose 3%, according to city data, making many people fear that the nearly three years of significant drops in crime has come to an end.

Andre will take over just as the city and police department start preparing for the summer months, when crime and violence typically rise.

While echoing the mayor’s frequent refrain that even one murder is too many, Andre said he would concentrate on efforts to transform the city’s approach to public safety rather than focusing on the “day-to-day data.”

“The reality is, the mayor is in a situation where he’s currently up against his own record,” Andre said, vowing to concentrate on helping the mayor implement his vision of a holistic approach to public safety. “It is in these moments that, you know, fear will creep in, and that we kind of want to go back to the old ways, because it’s just a natural reaction, but now I think it’s time to double down.”

Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]

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