Austin and the greater West Side community marched down Madison Street and gathered for a prayer vigil in Columbus Park Saturday to address gun violence on the West Side.
“We demand a better way to live,” community members shouted during the march. “No kids die in the Chi!”
Although the vigil happens annually, and the march was planned more than a month ago, the sentiment was heightened after recent outbreaks of gun violence on the West Side.
On March 31, nine young people were shot in Austin during two separate mass shootings. A 16-year-old and 19-year-old both died.
The 37th Ward held an evening march April 2 to mourn the victims and call for an end to gun violence.
“After decades of rising crime and deteriorating fortunes in parts of Chicago’s once vibrant areas, we need fresh, new novel approaches to addressing our pressing community public safety challenges,” said Emma Mitts, alderman of Chicago’s 37th Ward, in a statement after the shootings.
On March 21, 26-year-old Black Chicagoan Dexter Reed was shot and killed in Humboldt Park after police officers in plain clothes pulled him over for not wearing a seatbelt, according to reports.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability released body camera footage April 9 that revealed, after Reed shot and wounded an officer, police fired 96 shots at Reed in just over 40 seconds. The shooting is undergoing investigation by the office, which oversees the police department and examines cases of police misconduct.
Gun violence has long plagued the West Side. In Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, the 15th District of the Chicago Police Department has seen its per-capita murder rate increase 274% from 2010 to 2020. In the 11th District in Garfield Park, the number of per-capita murders increased 114% over the same time period, Crain’s Chicago Business reported.
According to the city’s violence reduction dashboard, 2,948 people were victims of shootings in Chicago last year. In 2023, Austin had the highest number of shootings — 226 — of any Chicago neighborhood. North Lawndale had the next most with 166 shootings.
March for peace
The March for Peace headed west from 3800 W. Madison St. before turning around at Kilpatrick Avenue. The march was put on by the Westside Block Club Association, an organization founded by Talei Thompson about three years ago to revive block clubs, and the 7 Slot Platoon, a group of Jeep owners who participate in local parades and fundraisers to uplift the community.
Dozens of Jeeps drove down Madison Street, several adorned with banners or holding signs out the window with faces of those lost to gun violence. About 100 West Side residents and members from area churches and organizations walked the two miles, playing music, chatting with each other and chanting through megaphones.
“What do we want? Peace! When do we want it? Now!” yelled one attendee into a megaphone, leading the rest of the attendees in joining.
Prayer Vigil
That evening, about two dozen people gathered at Columbus Park to raise awareness against gun violence and share a meal together. The 16th annual vigil has seen over 200 attendees in past years and was first organized by Fresh Start Fathers, a group founded by James R. Shannon about 25 years ago to educate and encourage men to be present in their children’s lives. At this year’s vigil, small groups of people chatted with each other and occasionally broke out in impromptu prayer.
“God, we’re here because our loved ones fell to the ground,” one attendee led the rest of the group in prayer. “God, I ask that you would strengthen us as we continue to live our life and as we continue to be guided by your spirit.”
“We pray, Lord God, in your will and your power that you would cease the gun violence that has happened in this city,” another man prayed. “Violence comes out of lack of love. Let our young people see the love that you are willing to give us and share with us.”
The first annual vigil started after 17-year-old Marcus Greer was shot and killed at the intersection of Congress Parkway and S. Lotus Ave. in 2008. Greer’s family asked Shannon to pray at a get-together mourning the teenager’s death.
Shannon said, “I just felt in my heart that it shouldn’t end there, but we should continue having a prayer vigil every year until we stop this menacing epidemic that’s deferred to destroy an entire generation of our youth.”