Chicago communities call for violence to stop

September 22, 2013 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Prayers for peace were heard in Chicago churches Sunday after last week's mass shooting in a South Side park wounded 13 people.

Police have not made any arrests in a crime that's drawing new attention to crime among African Americans in the city.

Police say the shooting stems for an ongoing dispute between rival gangs. Meanwhile, Chicago's neighborhoods are struggling to deal with the violence.

On this sunny Sunday afternoon, a usually busy Cornell Square Park is empty. Neighborhood resident Brian Diaz says the violence has scared people away.

"They're scared cause of the shootout, cause every time I come they be playing basketball and right now they ain't playing," he said.

It was Thursday night that 13 people were shot with an assault-style rifle in what police say was a gang-related attack in the South Side park. Among the wounded is a 3-year-old child.

This latest outbreak of gun violence in Chicago has communities calling for the killing to stop.

At services Sunday at Canaan Community Church, Pastor Jonathan Brooks encouraged members of his congregation to not only pray for healing, but actively get involved by promoting peace.

"We may not be able to stop the violence, but we can definitely add more light to the darkness," Pastor Brooks said.

It is that darkness that is depicted in an ongoing exhibit at the DuSable Museum of African American History.

KKK, Kin Killing Kin, is a collection of sketches by Ohio artist James Pate.

The artwork, along with the museum's companion installation, express the effects of the epidemic of black on black violence.

"People have always said that we have put the Ku Klux Klan out of business, so after hearing that it resonated and as an artist I thought I would illustrate that sentiment," Pate said.

Three weeks ago over Labor Day weekend, there was an outbreak of violence that left several people dead and more than a dozen injured.

Chicago police responded by adding patrols to some neighborhoods including the Back of the Yards, where Thursday's shooting took place.

Kimberly Jordan, whose grandchildren escaped harm that night, makes a plea for peace.

"I think communication would help a lot," she said.

Police say that their investigation is ongoing, but so far no arrests have been made.

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stop the violence, chicago news, evelyn holmes

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