Chicago has suffered so many gun violence murders that the city is now offering to pay $1,500 in funeral costs to help grieving families.
The funds will be paid as part of the Emergency Supplemental Victim Fund and will provide families with funding to help bury their loved ones.
Shooting victims can also receive $1,000 to help cover basic needs like medical and grocery bills, as well as up to $1,000 for temporary relocation costs.
The program already exists in the city after being introduced in five communities in 2022, but is now expanding to 15 others across the city.
Mayor Brandon Johnson announced the plans, saying the move was a step in the right direction and could help mitigate the problem of gun violence. Critics have claimed that the creation of the fund is a disturbing sign of what the Windy City has become.
Mayor Brandon Johnson announced the plans, saying the move was a step in the right direction and could help mitigate the problem of gun violence.
The program already exists in the city after being introduced in five communities in 2022, but is now expanding. Here you see police responding to a shooting in April of this year.
Johnson said: ‘This crisis did not simply appear with a bullet. This crisis appeared when previous administrations decided to give up on these communities.
“The program provides much-needed resources to promote healing in our communities and among families who have been affected by violence, offering a lifeline that will lead us to a safer city.”
Kevin Edwards, who survived a non-fatal gunshot wound, received $1,000 in support following the shooting in the West Garfield Park area last summer.
He said ABC7: ‘It was terrible. I couldn’t do anything else. I thought it was over. ‘I thought she was going to die.’
Edwards used the funds to help pay his medical bills, adding: “This can stop.” I believe what he said. “Hopefully everyone can join in and it can decrease.”
The mayor’s announcement comes after a violent week in the city in which 71 people were shot and killed, nine between Friday and Monday.
From midnight Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday, around two dozen people were shot.
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling told reporters that Rivera was leaving his home when gunshots were heard. The shooting scene is seen here.
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling told reporters that Rivera was leaving his home when gunshots were heard.
The 22nd Ward councilor said: ‘Seventy people getting shot is 70 too many. The fact is that we have work to do. While we are making progress, we have much more to do.”
The latest statistics released earlier this week by the Chicago Police Department show that there have been 961 shooting incidents so far this year.
On Tuesday night, seven-year-old Jai’mani Amir Rivera was shot to death on the city’s Near West Side in what police described as “random shootings.”
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling told reporters that Rivera was leaving his home when gunshots were heard.
Snelling said, “This child was coming out of his residence and was struck by gunfire.”
Rivera received help from officers who arrived at the scene and was rushed to the hospital, but was later pronounced dead.
Snelling added: “We are losing our children and we really need to think about the gun violence that is happening in this city.”
“We all need to step up to try to fight this gun violence and try to save our children.”
On Tuesday night, seven-year-old Jai’mani Amir Rivera was shot to death on the city’s Near West Side in what police described as “random shootings.”
In 2020, Natalia Wallace was murdered outside a Fourth of July party at her grandmother’s house while playing with other children on the sidewalk.
Rivera was not the first seven-year-old to die as a result of gun violence in the city.
In 2020, Natalia Wallace was murdered outside a Fourth of July party at her grandmother’s house while playing with other children on the sidewalk.
Officers said three men jumped out of a white vehicle and opened fire on partygoers before speeding away.
Wallace was shot in the forehead and later pronounced dead at the hospital, with her family describing her as a “fun, outspoken girl.”
Kevin Boyd was charged with first-degree murder in connection with her death, along with Terrell Boyd and Davion Mitchell. It is unclear what stage his cases are at.
After Rivera’s death, Mayor Johnson joined Snelling in echoing his sentiment that gun violence had reached a critical point in the city.
Johnson said: “The pain in this city has become increasingly unbearable. The ungodly behavior, the acts of violence that have plagued our city for so long have reached a breaking point.
Chicago police officers responded to the violent incident around 9:15 p.m. Saturday in the 2000 block of West 52nd Street in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.
‘This is no longer simply about a tragedy, but about correcting the course of the ways of life of some people in this city that have caused terror, trauma and torment. “We will hold individuals accountable.”
In April of this year, an eight-year-old boy was killed in a mass shooting on the city’s south side that left ten other people injured.
According to police, a family was gathering for a birthday party when gunmen opened fire with assault rifles and handguns.
A nine-year-old boy was also injured with a scratch on his finger. He was taken to the hospital and was in stable condition, police said.
In announcing the new measure for victims and their families, the city said they will reinvest $10 million over the next three years to cover the cost.