A non-profit in Chicago’s West Humboldt Park neighborhood is seeking the public’s help after thieves stole laptop computers and a van from the facility earlier this week.
The Bloc, a nonprofit boxing club that aims to use the discipline of the sport to provide teens with resources and inspiration, was the victim of a brazen theft Monday morning, according to group leaders.
Burglars were captured on surveillance video breaking into the facility, stealing laptops, tables, and an internet router before getting away in the facility’s van.
“This is a safe space, and that feeling was violated,” Jamyle Cannon, who founded The Bloc, said.
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“It was heartbreaking. People came in and took stuff that didn’t belong to them,” Aniyah Sutton, who participates in the program, added.
Cannon says that the toughest task in the aftermath of the theft was breaking the news of the burglary to those in the program.
“I was really hurt. This is like a second home,” Sutton said.
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Cannon says that the group aims to regroup and come back even stronger after the burglary, continuing its mission of helping Chicago’s young people to be all that they can be.
“There’s a lot to be made up, but we have the people in place to make it happen,” he said.
More information on the group can be found on its Facebook page.
