Stakeholders aim to keep Englewood ‘homicide-free’ over Fourth of July weekend

Anti-violence groups, security firms, business owners, faith leaders and elected officials gathered in Englewood Thursday, announcing plans to deploy hundreds of people to keep an eye on the neighborhood in an effort to tamp down shootings over the historically violent Fourth of July weekend.

“We are tired of losing our kids, we are tired of losing our babies to gun violence,” said Early Walker of the anti-violence group I’m Telling, Don’t Shoot.

Walker estimated that between 800 and 1,000 people, affiliated with various security companies and community groups, will be keeping watchful eyes on Englewood over the holiday weekend.

Ald. Stephanie Coleman, whose 16^th Ward covers much of Englewood, West Englewood, Back of the Yards and Chicago Lawn, called for the ward to remain “homicide-free” over the holiday weekend.

“We can’t do it alone, but together we can,” Coleman said.

Chicago police records show that there were no murders recorded over the Fourth of July weekends in 2018 and 2019 in the CPD’s Englewood District, though there were nine nonfatal shootings.

Walker helped broker the cooperation between his organization and other community stakeholders partly in response to the fatal shootings of two children, ages 1 and 3, over consecutive weekends recently.

The 1-year-old, Sincere Gaston, was killed and his mother was wounded in a shooting at 60^th and Halsted streets last weekend. Mekhi James, 3, was shot and killed in Austin the weekend prior. I’m Telling, Don’t Shoot has since raised $25,000 as a reward for information that leads to arrests in both murders.

Rev. Leslie Sanders, pastor of Hope Presbyterian Church, at 1354 W. 61st St., said Thursday that his church was adding an additional $1,000 to the reward fund.

“We are not going to stand for the violence, we’re not going to stand for our children being slaughtered,” Sanders said. “We are going to stand together as a neighborhood and a community of people.

“We’re going to be praying, but we’re going to be watching,” he added.