Trauma Center Protestors Plan Friday Tent City

Protestors seeking a Level 1 trauma center at the University of Chicago plan to create a tent city at the school's administration building Friday evening.

Students, doctors and community members planned to erect speakers and blast music at 58th and Ellis starting at 8:30 p.m.

It's the latest move in consecutive days of protests.

The demonstrators are concerned that victims suffering violent injuries have farther to travel to get traumatic care.

Earlier Friday, the group of students and doctors marched on the home of U of C's president.

Level 1 trauma centers are located at Northwestern, Stroger, Mount Sinai, Loyola and Illinois Masonic hospitals. The only Level 1 trauma center on the South Side is at Christ Advocate Medical Center, which the protestors say is often on bypass, meaning patients have to go elsewhere.

Sheila Rush has been protesting with the group all week. Her son, Damian Turner, was shot a few blocks from the U of C Medical Center in 2010, but died while being transported to Northwestern downtown.

"We are marching this week because we want the President to know that the University of Chicago should not get the honor of the prestige that comes with the Obama library when they are neglecting the needs of the black and brown communities on the South Side," Rush said.

Earlier this week, protestors blocked a construction site at the University of Chicago, prompting arrests.

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