A large group of volunteers came out to Chicago’s South Side on Wednesday to repair communities that were devastated by looting this week.
“We’re just surveying damage, and doing what we can to get it cleaned back up,” Lisa Brown, who came out to the Bronzeville neighborhood to help, said. “This is the beginning of what we need to do to get communities together and to show unity.”
Jermaine Anderson, who runs the group “I Am a Gentleman,” put out a call for volunteers, and almost a hundred showed up for Wednesday’s clean-up.
“People want to give back,” he said.
Volunteers cleaned up several area businesses, including a Mariano’s location in the area. The store will now be able to reopen on Friday thanks to their efforts, Anderson said.
“First we went in and picked up around the neighborhood, and then we stocked shelves,” Jessica Marshall, who brought her three sons and her mother to the event, said. “We are part of this community, and we’re happy to be here to help clean up.”
Other volunteers said they hope that the effort will inspire others to clean up other parts of the city.
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“We have other places we need to go,” Marshall said. “Our communities have been destroyed, and we are going to be the change – it starts here.”
