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
