The Rev. Jesse Jackson and TV news crews came to our community’s United Church of Rogers Park for a Safe Summer Rally and Peace March today (6-10-09). The event, featured on WLS-TV 7 News, was attended by over 100 church members, community residents and activists, and civic leaders supporting Chicago’s citywide campaign to stop gun and gang violence.Our Pastor Catiana McKay, speaking at the event at our church at 1545 W. Morse Ave, addressed the anti-violence theme powerfully. Pastor McKay noted, “When we begin to make peace as the way that we live and we claim a neighborhood for peace, our communities change. I would like to see peace poles all over this community to claim that there is no space for violence here. We are here to transform that.”
The high incidence of violence in Rogers Park, including the December, 2008 stabbing murder of 16-year-old Isaiah Stroud outside the Jarvis CTA station, and other city neighborhoods with an even higher crime rate were noted in the television station’s story (copied below). A key factor in how we combat crime is how we address the needs of youth. Our Deacon Wesley Dorr outlined the year-round and summer youth programs delivered at United Church, and also spoke to the need for more programs and activities to serve Rogers Park’s youth.
Other participants at today’s event at United Church included the Rev. Jesse Jackson (who called our city’s murder rate “a state of emergency”), Sarita Villareal of Save A Life, The Illinois Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Cease Fire and the Chicago Police Department.
As chairman of our church board of trustees, I join Pastor McKay in “claiming our neighborhood for peace.” I’m also proud that our congregation continues to be proactive on critical issues facing our community and that we are working to help unite our neighbors in common cause.
Information on United Church of Rogers Park and the work we do is available at our web site at http://www.ucrogerspark.org/index.htm or by calling us at (773) 761-2500.
Peace,
Michael J. Harrington
Chair of United Church Board of Trustees
