'Stop the finger pointing': South Side rally calls for peace following violent weekend
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A rally on Chicago's South Side is calling for peace this weekend.
Saint Sabina's Father Michael Pfleger leading a peace rally Friday night. It comes on the heels of the holiday weekend that saw 100 people shot across the city.
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"Let's have a strategy for Chicago, there is no strategy right now. There is no plan," Pfleger said.
The walk to take ownership of city streets is fueled by faith with amplified calls for a collective solution to Chicago's crime.
"We're going to continue to call for a state of emergency in this state of Illinois," Pfleger said. "The governor, the Cook County board president and the mayor and the state's attorney, stop the finger pointing at the police department. Get in a room, lock the door, figure out what you're gonna do."
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Arne Duncan, former U.S. secretary of education and founder of anti-gun violence organization Chicago CRED, joined dozens of others on Pfleger's summer weekly peace walks.
"We cannot arrest our way out of this. We need resources, then mentors, trauma support, they need jobs," Duncan said.
Pfleger and his supporters took over the streets of Auburn Gresham handing out flyers showcasing events and community resources that offer opportunities and alternatives to what the city saw last weekend.
"We are here to support young people and create an environment where they can live peaceably, not having to worry about the gun violence that plagues our communities," said John Rogers, founder and CEO of Ariel Investments.
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"We had a phrase, 'All in Illinois' for COVID, well let's get it, 'All in Chicago for violence' and save our babies before our children are becoming an endangered species," Pfleger said.
Pfleger said even though city violence may be concentrated in certain areas, it's a problem that should have every Chicagoan, from the north to the south side, enraged.
