GROUPS UNITE TO DECRY GUN VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle addresses the crowd at the Let Our Kids Live event, which was hosted by the Austin Peoples Action Center. Photo courtesy of Let Our Kids Live
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle addresses the crowd at the Let Our Kids Live event, which was hosted by the Austin Peoples Action Center. Photo courtesy of Let Our Kids Live

Groups unite to decry gun violence against children

BY TIA CAROL JONES

Recent shootings and killings of young children have prompted organizations to host an event to bring awareness to gun violence throughout the city.

The Let Our Kids Live event was hosted by the Austin Peoples Action Center, with the goal of bringing people together who are ready to take action and make positive changes.

Counting on Chicago Coalition, Hustle Mommies and Vision of Restoration, also sponsored the event. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Illinois State Senator Kimberly A. Lightford, Illinois State Representative LaShawn K. Ford, Former NBA Player Stephen Jackson, as well as George Floyd’s brother, Philonise “Po” Floyd attended the event.

Cynthia Williams is the CEO of Austin Peoples Action Center. Williams said the Let Our Kids Live event was a collective effort that began with news about the senseless killing of children.

“It was a response to community violence, and it was a result of burying baby after baby after baby. And, we just wanted to put a message out there that our babies are hands-off, our women are hands-off, our children are hands off and the killing has to stop,” she said.

Williams said Austin Peoples Action Center started a Go Fund Me page for each of the families that lost young children to gun violence. She said it led to the organization learning more about the families that experienced the loss. Williams added the organization has raised money help those families, and in some cases, to assist them if they needed to relocate. She said other people heard about the work Austin Peoples Action Center was doing and wanted to support them.

“Cook County Board president Toni Preckwinkle heard about us and joined forces with us, in terms of speaking out against the violence,” she said. “Another friend of ours, Shabazz, also heard about our work and offered to bring Stephen Jackson and George Floyd’s brother, Po, to speak out about violence in our community.”

Williams said the impact on families that lose children to gun violence is indescribable. She said it is a grieving process those families will never be able to forget. “It’s unimaginable, unthinkable that your baby, your child, has been shot, has been killed in such a violent, horrific way. There’s no way to describe the pain from their parent,” she said.

Williams said the prevailing messages from the Let Our Kids Live event were “peace be still” and “stop the killing.”

“I felt the spirit, at least in our community, where everybody got the message that you are a part of the solution,” she said. “Every last one of us is part of the solution and I think, it was just a united front that was the spirit at the event.”

Williams said when she looked around and saw elected officials, law enforcement, clergy and community leaders and residents, it made her feel good. “It was [a] reunion of peace, of community peace, it was just a big family reunion,” she said.

Williams said the fight against gun violence has to continue. To continue that message, Austin Peoples Action Center has hired some street-involved youth to work for them to keep them off the streets.

Williams said after the event, it was the first time she slept through the night and for a minute, there was peace. She also said, there were street-involved people at the event, and there was not an incident. “I would hope our message of let our babies live, let our kids live, Black Lives Matter, that message stays with all of us and it starts with us. So, I’m hoping that it’s a message of peace throughout our community that each one of us that was there takes that message to their peers,” she said. “They know who’s doing the shooting, they know who’s doing the gang banging, they know who’s out there doing wrong. We’re hoping to make ‘good trouble’ in our communities."

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