The tree was erected Nov. 29. Around 100 people, many of them children, gathered to watch the lighting ceremony. “We’re working so hard to brand our community in a positive light,” Chamber of Commerce CEO Donna Hampton-Smith said. “And having a tree was just that — it was a positive light, literally, to our community.”

“We’ve gotten nothing but praise and thanks from the residents of Harvey for making their blocks safer. They feel they can sleep better at night. They can let their kids play and not wonder about them wandering into one of these homes,” volunteer Jason Ross Decker said. But Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark has called the board-ups illegal, because they’re on private property, calling the work a public safety issue, a health risk, and a liability for the city.

The medical examiner’s office said final opioid-related death count could actually end up topping 2,000 once pending toxicology reports on additional cases are finalized. Overdoses have been steadily increasing, up by nearly 1,000 compared to 2015 when only 647 opioid deaths were reported.

The increase in violent crime has been blamed on myriad factors, including the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, state and local restrictions, an unprecedented economic crisis, and the deaths of Black men and women at the hands of law enforcement.

Despite running on a platform to reform the city of Chicago’s fines and fees program, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s 2021 budget package includes a controversial rule change. Currently, those citations only happen for individuals driving 10 miles per hour over the limit.