Chicago police will set up an Emergency Assistance Center on Wednesday in Cornell Square Park, open to anyone affected by violence.
Spreading the word, members of the Chicago Police Department’s Office of Victim Services canvassed a Back of the Yards neighborhood, leaving flyers about the temporary center. Its opening was prompted by recent mass shootings.
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On Friday, seven people were shot, two fatally, near West 51st and South Wood streets.
And on Saturday, a shooting left four children wounded in Bronzeville, with a 13-year-old boy now facing gun charges. Community leaders said around 300 teens had gathered near 45th Street and Indiana Avenue before shots rang out, leaving an 11-year-old, two 13-year-olds and a 14-year-old wounded.
And just Monday night, four men were shot while standing on the sidewalk in a drive-by shooting in South Austin. One of them died. Cook County Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to $10,000, valid for 60 days, for information that leads to the arrest or indictment of those responsible for the shooting.
“The emotional wounds can remain long after the headlines fade, which is why it’s important that we come together to support one another,” said Lucy Hernandez with Hope Culture.
The center is open to anyone affected by violence, assisting them with victim compensation applications, crisis counseling, and other support systems.
Police were joined by community partners who made it their mission to stop violence. Vaughn Bryant is the executive director of Metropolitan Peace Initiatives, which supports numerous community-based groups, each with violence interrupters who use their connections to mediate disputes.
“The way violence happens, it can be in the snap of a finger, and somebody can be triggered and something’s happens, and there’s just no way for the police or violence intervention to be everywhere all the time,” Bryant said.
Bryant says violence interrupters make a positive difference. They have stopped shootings and teen trends. But Bryant says their work is most effective when parents are present.
“Sometimes, just the nature of being young, is you’re gone participate in high-risk behavior. That’s a normal thing. So, we as adults have to put some parameters around that, so our presence curbs their behavior,” Bryant said.
Pastor Donovan Price, who often responds to these shootings, said he is concerned at the young ages of these shooters and victims, for that matter, and intervention of any kind is needed.
“Whenever there are mass gatherings, whether they’re teen takeovers or a family picnic, there’s always a danger and bullets don’t know one from the other,” Price said. “And by being the start of summer, you worry even more if it’s going to escalate or if it’s just getting started your hope it’s not. I’ve seen many people doing good work to try and alleviate some of these incidents and gatherings, but still it’s a great concern because of the amount of people shot per incident.”
At the Emergency Assistance Center, all services are free and confidential and available to anyone in need of support.
There will also be police outreach to other neighborhoods impacted by recent violence such as Grand Boulevard, Englewood, and Little Village.
