During the summer months homicides in the city are 43 percent higher than during the rest of the year. The effects of violence are disproportionately concentrated in urban neighborhoods, city officials said.
During the summer months homicides in the city are 43 percent higher than during the rest of the year. The effects of violence are disproportionately concentrated in urban neighborhoods, city officials said.
With the school year recently coming to a close and summer barely underway, there has already been a staggering number of youth either seriously injured or killed due to stray bullets.
Just this month several children were victims of handgun violence prompting outrage from families, neighborhoods and community leaders alike.
Felicia Davis, deputy chief of staff for public safety, one of the new positions created by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, told the Defender that the city has been working tirelessly to implement strategies that will keep kids active, off the street and in safe environments.
“Safety and education are important to us,” said Davis, who spent a decade as a Chicago cop. “We want them (the public) to know that we are pushing things out there.”
As a result, city officials will weigh the possibility of closing venues if violent activity in those areas are significant enough that it causes a threat to area residents.
“There is the potential for closing events and venues should public safety be risked,” Davis said. “The police department has the authority to make these calls, case by case, depending on circumstances. Safety and welfare of citizens will take precedent.”
Since many deaths are attributed to random gang violence, efforts have been on-going recently by the city to reduce that surge with the help of the Violence Reduction Strategy initiative.
Police department officials tout the program as being proven to impact crime levels in communities affected by gang violence.
Last week Rev. Michael Pfleger, pastor of the Faith Community at St. Sabina, local community activists and area residents affected by acts of violence held a rally in Englewood to call for peace in the streets and for gangs to cease what some residents consider holding neighborhoods hostage.
Chicago Police Department crime summary reports reveal 11 children who were classified as younger than 9 years old and as old as 16 years old were murdered from January-May of this year. In 2010, 13 youth in that same time span had been killed.
“Those numbers symbolizes a lot more work needs to be done,” said CeaseFire Illinois director Tio Hardiman.
The longtime community activist said one of the keys in stopping crime in historically violent areas is to “change the mindset” of individuals when it comes to violence.
Emanuel, who said keeping kids safe this summer was one of his top priorities during his early days in office, has, among other things, promised to infiltrate streets with hundreds of additional police officers and provide more programs for children and teenagers.
The extra manpower can’t come soon enough after a surge of violence recently gripped the city.
Earlier this month nearly a dozen kids were either wounded or murdered.
It started on June 4 when a pair of teenage boys were shot during an apparent drive-by shooting in the Marquette Park neighborhood. That same day a 14-year-old girl was shot while standing with a group of friends on a West Side street.
Four days later on June 8, girls age 2 and 7 were shot in Avondale Park.
Following those incidents a man, 18, and boy, 15, were gunned down within hours of each other on June 14 in Humboldt Park.
Just a few days ago a 17-year-old was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in the South Loop police said was gang-related.
Still elected leaders look forward to keeping kids safe this summer. They’re turning not only to police but to jobs, activities and community support to assist in their efforts.
Emanuel and Cook County Board of Commissioners President Toni Preckwinkle went a step further in announcing One Summer Chicago, a new partnership between the city, county and the civic community to increase access to summer programs for young people in Garfield Park, Woodlawn, Little Village and Englewood.
Some 16,000 community jobs – paid and unpaid positions – are available this summer for youth, officials said. Through $1.5 million in funding provided by Wal-Mart another 700 jobs are expected to be open to young people. Additional funding in the form of $1.6 million in city parking meter subsidies will also help provide employment.
“I would tell kids that they have choices,” Davis said about the plethora of programs and camps available this summer. “Sitting on the porch waiting for something to happen is not going to cut it.”
While the city and community leaders have attempted to raise awareness about post school activities through newspaper, television, the city’s website or 311 information, Davis said ultimately it is the duty of parents and guardians to ensure children are engaged.
“Parents have a lot of say in that,” Davis said.
Copyright 2011 Chicago Defender
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