Community organization increasing safety efforts after violent weekend in Chicago
Chicago is recovering from a violent weekend, during which three people, including a teenager, were killed and 39 others were hurt in shootings across the city.
Victims in the hospital and communities are picking up the pieces ahead of what is expected to be a busy Labor Day weekend.
The work to keep people safe intensifies, especially over the upcoming holiday weekend.
Over 200 people brush up on their skills in violence intervention, street outreach and crisis response — getting ready for Labor Day weekend and the school year.
"I do have a team that deploys directly to the hospital as well as to the scene for shootings," said Angella Roberts-Smith, director of Intervention Services at Build Chicago
Roberts-Smith says he phone was pinging and pinging with alerts of the 23 shootings that happened this weekend. In total, 42 people were shot. Two men and a 15-year-old boy were killed.
"The team that goes to the scene is from the community," Roberts-Smith said.
On South Cottage Grove Avenue, the scene of a mass shooting that killed one and injured 14 others.
"It is our goal to be able to prevent anything from happening further from that. Any kind of retaliation, any form of intimidation, we're trying to relocate victims, get them the services that they require to not retaliate, to get clinical services, to heal from the trauma."
They focus on youth development, with plans to be in Austin, Humboldt Park, and East Garfield Park with programming, food and fun this weekend.
"It's the relationships that makes the difference, so that when you're part of the community that helps in a positive way it's less likely that you're in harm's way or that you perpetrate harm," said Build Chicago CEO Bradley Johnson.
Citywide crime statistics do not yet include this past weekend.
Up until last Wednesday, shootings were down 2% compared to the same time last year, which was down 38% from the year prior.
Patty Casey was a commander with the Chicago Police Department. When asked about Labor Day weekend, she pointed to police burnout and lack of manpower — a concern she has for police response and another reason why community groups' presence matters.
"I know the police officers they had their days off canceled. They're working 12-hour days. So now not only are you dealing with being shorthanded, you're dealing with police that are exhausted and may be disgruntled because they're missing out on family activities. So the big challenge is, for one, you know, keep the police morale up during these times," she said.
The upcoming Labor Day weekend may see an all-hands-on-deck effort, with everyone in community organizations on call.
