Violence prevention groups have launched a collaborative effort to reduce gun violence in North Lawndale. The initiative is led by READI Chicago, which engages young people through cognitive behavioral therapy and economic opportunities; Communities Partnering 4 Peace, a coalition of 15 neighborhood anti-violence groups; and Chicago CRED, which uses street outreach and workforce development programs to tackle gun violence.
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Gun violence prevention rally calls for collaboration
Three anti-violence organizations pledged Tuesday to work together to tamp down gun violence in the North Lawndale neighborhood. Chicago CRED, Communities Partnering 4 Peace and READI Chicago want to train 100 people to become violence intervention ambassadors.
Promises made, promises kept: A year after George Floyd killing, Chicago corporations taking steps to fight racism
Tying exec’s pay to diversity goals. Making grants for home down payments. Offering advice to minority-owned businesses. Making Juneteenth a company holiday. That’s some of what Chicago’s largest corporations have done.
Read the full story, featuring READI Chicago, from the Chicago Sun-Times here.
Shooting and Homicides Are Up In Chicago. What’s The Solution?
Gun violence is on the rise in Chicago. More than 1,000 people have been shot in the city so far this year. Last year at this time, only 720 people had been shot. WBEZ’s Reset checks in with the violence prevention program, Rapid Employment and Development Initiative, or READI Chicago, to discuss solutions to Chicago’s gun violence.
The Killing of Adam Toledo and the Colliding Cycles of Violence in Chicago
With shootings in the city on the rise, trust in the police has nearly bottomed out. Read the full story from the New Yorker, featuring READI Chicago Senior Director Eddie Bocanegra, here.
Direct resources to those who need them most
Community violence intervention programs are helping individuals and communities heal, but more still needs to be done. Read the full story from READI Chicago Senior Director Eddie Bocanegra for Crain’s Chicago Business’ Forum on Gun Violence here.
Who Defines a Mass Shootings? The Media.
Chicago reporters, scholars, and activists, including READI Chicago Senior Director Eddie Bocanegra, weigh in on the way the media covers mass shootings—and how it could do better. Read the full story from South Side Weekly here.
Biden wants to give anti-violence groups $5 billion. Here’s how it could be spent.
For decades, anti-violence crusaders have preached new approaches to curb shootings. Now, the White House is listening. Read the full story, featuring READI Chicago Senior Director Eddie Bocanegra, from NBC News here.
The US saw significant crime rise across major cities in 2020. And it’s not letting up
Major American cities saw a 33% increase in homicides last year as a pandemic swept across the country, millions of people joined protests against racial injustice and police brutality, and the economy collapsed under the weight of the pandemic — a crime surge that has continued into the first quarter of this year.
Read the full story from CNN, including perspective from READI Senior Director Eddie Bocanegra, here.
White House Causes Frustration In Private And Public Responses To Gun Violence
As President Biden called on senators to quickly pass legislation to tighten the nation’s background checks system, he said that he did not need to “wait another minute” to address the epidemic of gun violence.