A summer festival with food, music, games and the Jesse White Tumblers brought the community together at Chicago's Palmer Park in an effort to stop the violence Saturday.
“We know that people want to live, they want their children to live, they want their teenagers to live,” Geri Jones, executive director of St. Titus One Youth Anti-Violence & Mentoring Program said. “So it’s important that we do everything we can to bring about a positive community atmosphere.”
The community event was one of several hosted in the city Saturday afternoon by a group of pastors, who are part of "Pastors Organized with Equity and Respect." They’re relying on their faith and pushing for a no-crime day.
“If we could affect one person, then we’ve done our mission,” pastor Michael Jones of St. Titus One Missionary Baptist Church said.
Many young children and teens part of a summer jobs program with Hood Heroes helped to set up the outdoor event. They’re calling for unity in neighborhoods, like Englewood, Burnside, South Shore and West Pullman.
“The fact that we have to tell people to stop everything bad, is like, what are we doing?” Amber Nyece Whitelaw said. “We should all come together and just be one.”
Latest numbers provided by Chicago police show 335 people have been murdered across the city so far this year.
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While the number is a decrease compared to this time in 2023, nearby residents said that one is still too many.
“Unfortunately in Chicago we still have a lot of violence,” Angela McClain said. “Today is a good day for us to ask everyone can you please just stop—if you can’t stop period, can we have at least one day of no gun violence?”
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McClain told NBC Chicago she’s still living with the pain and trauma of losing her brother Carlos. The 17-year-old was shot and killed 32 years ago in July.
“I was only 12 when it happened, and it still affects my mom and it still affects us,” she said.
Her heartbreak is felt by others at the park who are wanting to see change.
“We just want to move the needle to another level, yes, the numbers are starting to go down, but we want them to go down further,” Jones said. “No life should be lost senselessly.”
As families enjoyed the outdoor fun, organizers hope one day they have peace in the streets.
“If we keep going one day, we will have it where there won’t be violence, where people will love each other and people will stop hurting each other,” Jones said.
