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The weather is getting warmer and people want to be outside more. Warmer weather and clusters of people can cause tensions to heat up. Saturday night three young people were shot and one died from a bullet wound to the chest.
Downtown, at The Bean, 16-year-old Seandell Holliday was involved in an altercation and 17-year-old Marion Richardson shot him in the chest killing him. According to prosecutors, Richardson was arguing with a girl in another group. As he was being pulled away from the group when Holliday jumped on him and punched him in the head. Richardson responded by shooting him in the chest.
Richardson has been charged on suspicion of second-degree murder, aggravated unlawful use of a loaded weapon, and aggravated battery involving the use of a laser device on a firearm, reported police.
During a news conference Sunday afternoon, Chicago police Superintendent David Brown stated he wanted youth and their families to enjoy Millennium Park together. He asserted that parents need to
In response to this shooting, Mayor Lori Lightfoot has placed a 6 p.m. CT curfew on all unaccompanied minors in Millennium Park. Thursday through Sunday, minors must be accompanied by a responsible adult in Millennium Park after 6 p.m. Police have not clarified how the new curfew will be enforced or what the consequences will be for unaccompanied youth.
The curfew has come against criticism from civil libertarians, according to the Tribune. This is not the first time the mayor has attempted to curb the violence in Chicago by issuing policies that could prevent teenagers from creating chaos.
In 2020, Mayor Lightfoot enacted a policy that would require downtown bridges to be raised at a specific time in order to prevent criminals from entering The Loop. The mayor came against fierce opposition to this decision. People believed that raising the bridges made “downtown inhospitable to Black and brown residents from the South and West sides.” However, the mayor defended her decision saying it was “necessary to prevent civil unrest.”
We, as a City, can not allow any of our public spaces to become platforms for danger. Anyone coming into our public spaces should expect to enjoy them peacefully and must respect and exhibit basic community norms of decency. We simply will not accept anything less.
Officials with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and Local School Councils want to have positive discussions about safety, according to CPS Chief Safety and Security Officer Jadine Chou.
Brown blamed unnamed social media posts for the large crowds. The posts were inviting young people downtown, to North Avenue Beach, and to Jackson Park. There was also a shooting at Jackson Park on Saturday. The gatherings led to the recovery of eight guns and 26 arrests, according to police.
Written by Jeanette Vietti
Sources:
Chicago Tribune: Mayor Lightfoot bans unaccompanied minors from Millennium Park after 6 p.m. in wake of 16-year-old’s fatal shooting near The Bean; by William Lee, Rosemary Sobol and Gregory Pratt
ABC 7 Chicago: ‘I told him not to go’: Mother speaks out on ‘Bean’ shooting; Chicago curfew ordinance criticized; by Jessica D’Onofrio
WGN TV: Deadly shooting in Millennium Park prompts weekend curfew; by Alonzo Small, Jenna Barnes
Featured Image Courtesy of La Sequencia‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inline Image Courtesy of Daniel X. O’Neil‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
