Chicago police, community partners open emergency assistance center following Back of Yards mass shooting
Family, friends, and community members light candles at a memorial for Ariana Molina, a 9-year-old girl who was shot and killed in a mass shooting that also left 10 of her family members wounded.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Chicago police and community organizations will open an emergency assistance center Wednesday afternoon near the scene of the Back of the Yards mass shooting that left a 9-year-old girl dead and 10 others wounded, to offer resources to residents impacted by recent violent crime.
The center at Richard J. Daley Academy, 5024 S. Wolcott Ave., will be open free to the public on Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Representatives from UCAN, Chicago Survivors and other community organizations will staff the center, helping to connect residents with resources such as counseling, victim compensation and property repair.
“We are here to serve all the victims of gun violence,” CPD Director of Community Policing Glen Brooks said at a press conference Tuesday morning. “You do not need a police report in order to get these services. All of these services are free. The goal here is to start that journey of healing.”
While the physical center will only be open for a few hours, UCAN and Chicago Survivors engage in the work year-round — and see Wednesday’s gathering as an opportunity to educate more residents about the resources they can offer.
“Although it is in response to the mass (shooting) incident, this assistant center is a safe space for anyone seeking victims' services,” Leslie Guzman, the victims' services supervisor at UCAN said Tuesday. “Anyone who has been impacted in the past or has known someone who's been impacted by gun violence…the center tomorrow is a safe space where they can come in and seek that support.”
There were at least 48 people shot over the weekend, including 11 shot during a single attack Saturday night in the Back of the Yard’s neighborhood.
Family members were outside, in the 2000 block of West 52nd Street, celebrating a relative’s confirmation when gunmen opened fire, killing 9-year-old Ariana Molina.
Three other children and seven adults were also wounded.
“The people who did this did not have a heart. They hurt innocent people,” Ariana’s grandmother told the Sun-Times Sunday in between sobs.
Police said the shooting was likely gang related though family members say no relatives have gang affiliation.
Police officials did not provide any updates on the shooting during Tuesday’s press conference.
Brooks did stress that the purpose of Wednesday’s emergency center would not be to gather information for the investigation.
“I promise you there is a number of investigators who are working this case tirelessly,” Brooks said. “We have CVI (community violence intervention) which is out there trying to mitigate any retaliation, but for today and for tomorrow, it's about the victims and providing services and helping them.”