Reducing Violence Through Community Events
As Memorial Day weekend kicked off, BUILD was out in the Austin community working to reduce the violence. On Friday May 24, BUILD, along with other organizations, held a community pop-up event at Friendship Baptist Church as part of the mayor’s “Our City, Our Safety” initiative.
“The spirit and enthusiasm you all are exhibiting here at this event is infectious,” said Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who made an appearance at the event. “We need to take this and spread it all over the West Side. If we make a difference here, in this neighborhood, in Austin – this will have a ripple effect across the city.”
Children, community members, and police officers from the 15th district in Austin came together at the event to enjoy food, music, and games. Mayor Lightfoot even joined in on a game of “bags” during her visit.
Located just blocks away from BUILD at Laramie and Jackson, Friendship Baptist Church was selected as the venue for this event because of the propensity for violence in the area.
“With this particular event, we would like to keep shootings and violence to a level that’s low to none,” said Chicago Police Officer Tonya Collins. “By having this community collective event, we’re trying to empower the community – giving them information on how to reduce crime in the Austin community.”
BUILD will be holding community pop-up events throughout the summer in the Austin and Humboldt Park communities. Please see the flyer below for event dates and locations.
