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Local Pastor Camps out on Motel Roof to Highlight Area Violence

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Pastor Corey Brooks, of New Beginnings Church, camping out on the rooftop of the vacant Super Motel, as a statment to crime in the area, on November 22, 2011. Photo by Mary C. Piemonte


In an effort to bring attention to violence in Chicago’s Woodlawn and Englewood communities, a local pastor has decided to camp out on the roof of an abandoned motel for 21 days, or until enough funds are raised to buy the motel and transform it into a community and economic development center.

“We’re trying to raise the funds, $450,000 so that we can purchase this motel, tear it down and do something economically that will be a blessing to the community,” said Corey Brooks, pastor of New Beginnings Church, 6620 S. King Drive, during a Nov. 22 interview on top of the former Super Motel, located across the street from the church. During the rooftop interview, members of Brooks’ church – which has over 3,000 members – were using a lift to haul electric heaters and other items onto the roof to help the pastor while he lives in a tent they had set up on top of the motel.
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CAN TV Devotes Entire Day Programming to “Stop the Violence” in the City of Chicago

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In a response to the recent escalating violence aimed at youth in the city’s neighborhoods, Chicago’s public access station, CAN TV will devote an entire day to programming produced by residents whose communities have been affected by violence.
The “Stop the Violence” programming will be cablecast from 10:30 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 27 on cable channel CAN TV19. The day begins with a live one-hour panel and call-in show featuring community leaders from the Chicago Public Schools, the 6th Ward and Bronzeville.
Other programming for the day includes, first person accounts of parents, like 2009 Father of the Year Ron Holt, who’ve lost children to violence, a dance group offering an alternative to gang life, youth created work trying to make sense of the violence, and community residents active in anti-violence work.
On June 27, at 5 p.m., a documentary will air featuring interviews with gang members and street hustlers warning youth about the dangers of life on the streets.
For a complete schedule and descriptions of the “Stop the Violence” programs Click here

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CPS Fan Restrictions

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Editor’s Note: The following article was written by a youth reporter who is a graduate of the Urban Youth International Journalism Program.

While I was standing in the lay-up line during pre-game warm ups at a recent away game at Dyett High School’s gymnasium, something was very different than previous games. My high school basketball team, Wendell Phillips, was playing a game at 3:30 p.m.— an early start time we were not familiar with.

I looked up and around the stands and saw Dyett fans screaming, “Go Eagles,” but not many fans screaming for our team. As I looked further around, I saw a big, empty space that looked as if it could hold a hundred people. In previous games, that space would have been filled with Phillips’ fans. The gym was empty because of a new fan restriction that prohibited fans of the opposing teams from attending games, unless they were pre-approved and screened by the host school.
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Growing Up

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Editor’s Note: The following article was written by a youth reporter who is a graduate of the Urban Youth International Journalism Program.

My name is Paris L. Haynes. I was born July 19, 1990 at Michael Reese Hospital. My parents are Takila Lawson and Dwayne Haynes. I graduated from Wells Prep grammar school. I have lived in the Wells all of my life. Now, I’m 15 and I’m in the tenth grade. I attend Dunbar Vocational Career Academy. When I was about two or three years old, my father’s mother and father both passed in a hour fire. Now that I’m a little older, it really hit me because I didn’t get a chance to know them. From the time I was a baby up until I was eight or nine years old, my family lived on the rock block (37th Place) in the Wells. We moved from there to Vincennes and then to 38th and Rhodes. Now we live in the Ida B. Wells extensions.
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Stop The Violence

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I recently attended the 7th annual Cook County Jail Town Hall Meeting at Operation PUSH headquarters, 930 E. 50 St. The purpose of the meeting was to have police, jail guards and ex-offenders meet face to face to discuss the conditions in the jails and the inhuman treatment inmates often have to endure.

The former inmates spoke of beatings and rapes. The place was packed when I arrived. There were people on the walls, both sides and the back, too. I was given a seat on the aisle about the fifth row back. I found it to be a spot where I could see everything. Read more »

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Stop The Violence

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Sept. 5 started out in the usual way. At about 10:15 a.m., I started out of my apartment to go to get my mail. I saw a police truck pulling into the parking lot. A police truck usually means the cops came to a “load” – more people than they can put in the police cars. By the time I got downstairs, there were two police cars pulling up in the alley behind the playground. The cops were already at the gallery on the first floor and they were putting handcuffs on one of the women standing outside apartment 105.

All of a sudden, a second woman broke loose and started running. The police were right behind her. Some of her friends yelled for her to stop but she kept running. As soon as they passed Fairfield Street, six or seven cars sped down Fairfield. I believe this was to cut her off on California, the next street – only one half a block away. Read more »

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Lathrop News

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On April 17, there was a march to stop the violence in Lathrop Homes. The march took off from the Cotter Boys and Girls Club.

In attendance were members of the Cotter Club as well as staff along with Local Advisory Council members as well as the CHA Service Connectors, members of the Tenant Patrol and staff of the DePaul University Urban Systems of Care, members of Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy and officers of the 19th District.

There could and should have been more residents of the community involved, especially since a young man was killed in the community a couple of weeks before the march. There have been reports of gunfire being heard in the development and the summer hasn’t even started yet. Let’s hope this march is the beginning of many such events to help the residents and, most of all, our children to have a safe and violent-free summer in all developments, not just Lathrop Homes. Our children deserve to be in a safe environment. Read more »

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Stop The Violence

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Courtroom Drama

In the last issue, I wrote about the three youths who were incarcerated for the Lori Roscetti murder. Omar Saunders, Calvin Ollins and his cousin, Larry Ollins, spent 15 years in prison for a murder they didn’t commit. A lawyer, Kathleen Zellner, had their cases reviewed and had DNA tests taken that proved that they were not the ones. They were released Dec. 6, 2001.

The irony of the case was that there was a fourth suspect, Marcellius Bradford. He had testified against the other three and got a shorter sentence.

The case was reinvestigated and Eddie Harris, 36, and Duane Roach, 46, were arrested. They had matching DNA. They both confessed and had their first day of trial on Feb. 8. They were indicted for murder with no bond. At a press conference, Omar Saunders said that he was glad the 1 percent of doubt was cleared up. Read more »

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Stop The Violence

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The month started with me covering the case of Jonathan Tolliver. The jurors had come to a deadlock on the first trial and I covered the retrial.

Tolliver was on trial for the death of Police Officer Michael Ceriale. Ceriale and his partner, Joseph Ferenzi, were staking out a Robert Taylor Homes building on an undercover drug sting Aug. 15, 1998 when Ceriale was shot and killed.

First there was a new set of jurors to be picked. This took two days. Two jurors asked to be excused, one because he said he had a history of mental problems. Read more »

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Stop The Violence

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I covered the recent trial of the man accused of raping Girl X in room 400 of the federal court building downtown.

Girl X, now 14, was assaulted, raped and given some type of poison in a Cabrini-Green hallway in 1997. This incident left the girl mentally damaged and blind. She was marked with gang signs on her stomach.

Most of the time, the courtroom only had reporters present in the audience as the trial went on. The girl herself was in the courtroom. During the cross-examination, the girl was urged to answer questions by the attorneys. Though she was able to give them the information, I had a doubt in my mind whether or not the girl actually knew what was going on. Read more »

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