READI Chicago Senior Director Eddie Bocanegra gave an overview of READI Chicago amid COVID-19 to Illinois legislators and decision-makers in a virtual town hall, “What Illinois Decision Makers and Providers Need to Know About Violence Prevention and Victim Services in the COVID-19 Crisis.” The town hall, organized by the Alliance for Safety and Justice and an array of violence prevention and victim services organizations, explored how COVID-19 has impacted essential services in Illinois and how to best protect the people and communities most at risk.
In addition to Eddie, the town hall featured Rep. Kelly Cassidy, Chair of the Public Safety Appropriations Committee; Sen. Heather Steans, Chair of the Appropriations Committee II; and Jason Stamps, Executive Director of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.
During his testimony, Eddie applauded Attorney General Kwame Raoul for expanding who Illinois recognizes as a crime survivor and increasing access to supports for those least likely to receive services. This is the very population that READI Chicago was designed to work with, recognizing that crime victims and perpetrators are often the same people.
“The men we serve live in environments where they are much more likely to be shot or killed,” Eddie said. “We often don’t talk about what it must be like to live as a young black or brown man in those communities—where you are 70 percent more likely to be shot than the average Chicagoan. For the men READI Chicago engages, we think about this on an individual level—when you do this, it is easier to understand why we must engage them in more intensive programming.”
Eddie urged legislators and state leaders to continue prioritizing violence prevention as a strategy that serves the state’s and city’s overall efforts to mitigate the risks of COVID-19. This includes paying particular attention to the needs of people of color who are disproportionately contracting and dying of this virus here in Chicago.
“We are seeing the strength and resilience of our participants and staff, and we are hearing how our men feel connected during this crisis,” Eddie said. “Participants are reaching out to us for support—and this says a lot given how isolated and disconnected many of these men felt before their involvement with READI Chicago.”
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