A police reform rally Saturday in Daley Plaza focused on the mothers of people wrongly killed by police officers and called for reform in the policing system.
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What’s driving this year’s flare-up of violence in Chicago?
Even by this city’s standards, 2020 is shaping up to be an especially deadly year. Outreach workers describe what’s fanning flames of violence and changing the rules of engagement on the streets.
Chicago organization works to reduce gun, gang violence through therapy, job training
Chicago resident William Brown loves basketball. He realized that dream would never be a reality when he was a teenager.
“I was 17. I was incarcerated for nine years in prison.”
Read the full story of READI Chicago participant William from ABC News 5 Cleveland here.
Editorial: Saying goodbye to another slain child and teen in Chicago, but not giving up
Caleb Reed, a 17-year-old junior at Mather High School, was self-assured enough to contribute his voice to Chicago’s gun violence debate. He spoke at a news conference in June about the issue of police in schools and was quoted in the Tribune and on television. His voice has been erased. He was shot in the head Friday afternoon on a street in West Rogers Park and died Sunday.
Homicide Spike Hits Most Large U.S. Cities
A sharp rise in homicides this year is hitting large U.S. cities across the country, signaling a new public-safety risk unleashed during the coronavirus pandemic, and amid recession and a national backlash against police tactics.
Shootings And Gun Deaths Continue To Rise At Alarming Rate In Large U.S. Cities
Many large U.S. cities, including New York, Philadelphia and Chicago, have been plagued by a recent surge in shootings and subsequent fatalities, escalating the debate over gun violence, which has disproportionately impacted communities crippled by the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing recession.
More Armed Confrontations Over Protests and Mask Mandates
As part of Operation Legend, the Department of Justice will send 100 agents from the FBI, ATF, and Drug Enforcement Agency to help Chicago “fight violent crime.” The Trace asked Eddie Bocanegra, the senior director of READI Chicago, for his perspective on how the push will affect gun violence prevention efforts there.
To stop the bloodshed, focus on Chicago’s hot spots
My Fourth of July began with the kind of phone call I dread most. A young man in our violence reduction program had been killed the night before, shot in the back of the head while walking away from an argument. The bullet ended a life that had just begun to know hope—and left two kids without a dad.
Read the full article from Senior Director Eddie Bocanegra in the Chicago Tribune here.
Policy Discussion on 2nd Chances: Developing New Solutions for Returning Citizens
On July 16th, the American Idea Foundation held a virtual panel discussion with policymakers, private-sector leaders, and on-the-ground practitioners about how to create pathways for success as individuals exit the criminal justice system and work to become contributing members of their communities.
Editorial: What isn’t working to reduce crime in Chicago—and what could
Rules of engagement are never static. They change alongside the changing circumstances of parties enmeshed in conflict. It’s true of countries, of politicians—and in Chicago, it defines the arc of gangs and gun violence.