CHICAGO — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the city saw “community divestment, poverty and trauma” the city has “struggled with for far too long” over the deadliest Memorial Day weekend in eight years.

Over the holiday weekend, at least 11 people were shot and killed and 50 were injured. The youngest person who was shot was just two years old.

Johnson and Fred Waller, the city’s interim police superintendent, spoke about the violence Wednesday afternoon at a press conference following the city council meeting.

“We are all grieving today,” Johnson said. “What we saw this weekend was a manifestation of community disinvestment, poverty, trauma that our city has struggled with for far too long.”

Waller took a minute to acknowledge those who died due to gun violence.

“I want to acknowledge the people that we lost to senseless gun violence this weekend and those who will forever live with the trauma of gun violence,” Waller said.

Both Waller and Johnson spoke about the collaborative efforts to reduce violence in the city.

Johnson told reporters during the press conference his administration’s priority is to increase peace and safety while collaborating with partners, including the Chicago Police Department.

“Building a safer Chicago means addressing the root causes of crime,” Johnson said.

Johnson acknowledged one of the people killed over the weekend was on the block where he lives with his wife and three children.

“Violence continues to impact the community I’m raising my family in, the Austin neighborhood,” Johnson said.

Arnel Smith, 64, is being held without bail in that case. He’s accused of hitting a 41-year-old woman with a baseball bat and using broken pieces of pottery to stab her.

He allegedly tied her hands up using a cell phone charge, wrapped her body in a comforter and dragged her to the back alley of his home, attempting to put her body in a dumpster before leaving her on the ground in the alley.

Court documents show the medical examiner noted he had never seen so many injuries to a person.

Waller said the department is taking what they’ve learned from the past, including the holiday weekend, to analyze data and best deploy resources.

He said over the weekend, the department adjusted resources in real-time to tend to the needs of the neighborhoods. One of those hotspots, North Avenue Beach, is where officers could be seen in droves after a shooting on Friday shut down the beach.

CPD said 152 guns were taken off the streets this weekend, and on Monday alone, two 16-year-olds were arrested after they were caught with guns at North Avenue Beach.

“While we can’t predict what could have happened with these guns, we can be sure that taking these guns off the street will save lives,” Waller said.

“Our members deserve days off with their families,” the Chicago FOP tweeted. “Continuing the failed policy of canceling Officers’ scheduled days off has lead to burnout. Our members’ physical & mental well-being must be a priority for @ChicagosMayor & @CPDSupt Waller.”

Waller also took time to thank community partners, including outreach workers, faith-based partners and violence interrupters.

Waller said their efforts to make Chicago safer are ongoing but won’t happen overnight.