Mayor Daley stood today with community leaders to announce an anti-violence initiative that will encourage downtown building owners to light their buildings blue "to symbolize peace."
Father Mike Pfleger came up with the idea.
"Chicago will be the first city in the nation to light buildings blue," Pfleger said before calling on all Chicagoans "be blue lights - break the code of silence."
BOMA Chicago - Building Owners and Managers Assoc supports the idea. Several mothers who have lost family members to gun violence spoke in favor of the blue lights.
"Today I join Father Pfleger and others who struggle against violence," said Mayor Daley. "This Friday to next Friday, we encourage businesses to light their buildings blue to signify peace."
Daley said "America is killing its own." He said he hopes this will be a wonderful reminder of Martin Luther King's anti violence message. The building lights program is scheduled to run from Jan 14 to Jan 21 - in honor of MLK.
The cost of blue lights will be up to buildings. Nearly 25 percent of 260 downtown buildingsbuildings - expected to do it.
