July 1, 2005—Phillips residents and elected officials marched and gathered for a rally at Chicago Ave. and Lake Street to speak out against the recent rash of shootings in the neighborhood.
In late June, three shootings left four residents injured, including one 13 year old asleep in his bed, and one person dead. This week, as the peace and justice rally was being organized, a fourth shooting left another man dead. The shootings punctuated a recent rise in crime in the neighborhood, residents and activists say.
"People in our community want peace. We don't want to see kids pulled into gangs, we don't want to see increased violence, we want no more deaths," said one of the rally organizers, Jana Metge of Phillips Weed & Seed. "We are rallying as a community to show support, concern, and options for folks to get out of the negative street life."
"This community knows how to pull together when we need to," said Metge.
The rally was sponsored by Phillips West Neighborhood Organization, Phillips Weed & Seed and MADDADS, with participation from the Central Neighborhood Organization, Little Earth Community and the Phillips Partnership.