This shooting that happened on Halloween Night in our neighborhood really hit home, more than the others that have happened lately.

The victim: a mother of three, and pregnant with their fourth child. Her kids were close in ages to ours.

Some are blaming the increase in violence on the fact that they just cut funding for Cease Fire, a major gang violence intervention program in Chicago. I'm sure that has affected it somewhat, but what we really need is help for the families. Once Dad has abandoned the family (as well as the two other women he got pregnant) and mom is working full time leaving her 16 and 14 year old sons at home to fend for themselves, and the kids are basically on the streets... violence intervention is a bit like an elmo bandaid on a 5 inch infected gash. Chances of any hispanic 16 or 14 year old NOT joining a gang are extremely slim in this neighborhood, let alone a 16 or 14 year old without a father figure and no one taking care of them at home.

Anyway, here's an excerpt from the story:

"...she called her husband. Did he think it was OK to take the children out trick-or-treating?

"She told me she was going to take the kids, but early, before it got dark out,'' said Manuel Flores, who was out of town. "I told her that was fine.

"Barrera, who was four months pregnant, had just made it home and was trying to open the wrought-iron gate in the couple's front yard on the 4800 block of South Seeley when she was fatally shot in the head, the victim of random gang violence, police said.

"After she was shot, Barrera fell forward onto the sidewalk, a bag of Halloween candy on the ground next to her, said Oscar Trujillo, her neighbor.

"Her three children, ages 2, 4 and 6, stood nearby watching. The children were unhurt -- but a day after the shooting, they were still waiting for their mother to come home, said Lucio Flores, Manuel's brother."

posted by Chaddo 11/05/2007 09:14:00 AM

Comments:

that's absolutely awful.

# posted by  joan.ekimball : 10:28 PM

 

The flip side...our church reaches out to these gang members, one mother came for help as she is fighting violent murderous urges and involved in this activity. We feel that we must be Christ in the city for this purpose.

# posted by  Holly : 9:06 PM

 

Hi: I'm a student teacher in CPS doing some research on a book called Holler if you hear me, which is about the experiences of a CPS teacher in 1990 in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. He taught at Quincy Elementary. If anyone knows where I could find this school, please let me know. Thanks.

# posted by  Anonymous : 10:55 AM

 

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