PHOTO/ANDY WILLIS
By the Logan Square People’s Tribune Discussion Group in Chicago
CHICAGO, IL — On July 28, two men, Darren Thomas and Kenneth Wallace, were killed in their car inHumboldt Park on Chicago’s West side. In a video made in the aftermath and seen by hundreds of thousands on You Tube, police can be seen towing the murder vehicle away with the victims’ heads lobbing out the window. By these actions, no pretense was even made of protecting and investigating a crime scene. When neighbors, friends and family protested the disrespect shown by police, they were met with hostility and cruel jokes about the victims.
Such disrespect for the victims of violence is an everyday occurrence in Chicago’s poor communities. Memorials for the dead are routinely destroyed in an aggressive manner. “Why do police officers destroy memorial sites? Smash candles, take pictures, etc? I’ve seen it more than once and I don’t get it. We need it explained to us!” says Amy Williams, a Gang Intervention Specialist.
The police, who we expect to serve and protect us equally, whether we are rich or poor, are instead a deadly threat to the community. According to newly released statistics by the Better Government Association, Chicago police kill more civilians than what happens in any other large city in America.
“I thought the kids and the violence would be the hardest part but it turns out that the police are,” said Tamar Manesseh of Mothers Against Senseless Killings (MASK). Manesseh is a leader in a group of South Side mothers who have started their own patrols to prevent violence in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago.
Mothers wearing pink tee-shirts with “Mom Patrol” written across the top, set up card tables and cook food for neighborhood children. “Once, we were singing happy birthday to a kid and an officer drove by and flipped us off. Another time, an officer accused a 14-year-old boy of saying ‘f**k the police!’’ Before we knew it, the kid was pressed against a car and four other police cars, each containing four officers had driven up . . . I wanted us to bridge between the police and community, but that isn’t possible. We are there to protect the community and I tell the kids that—I’m here to protect you from both yourselves and any outside enemy, including the police.” (The Observer)
To stop violence in our communities, we first need to get involved. Parents for Peace and Justice in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago hold regular vigils on the streets to honor the dead and bring reconciliation and support to their community.
Community groups like these are leading the way. Parents who have lost children are turning their grief into action, and faith leaders are leaving the safety of their sanctuaries for the streets to make a difference. We must visually and vocally take a stand to uphold the value and dignity of human life. We urge you to step forward and become involved.
Learn more about these organizations at www.ahopedealer.org, MASK website or Facebook page, and www.parentsforpeaceandjustice.org.
