City Hall Calls For 'Summer Of Faith And Action' Instead Of Violence
(CBS) – A prayer walk took place Friday on the city's South Side with the intent of making people think twice before resorting to gun violence this holiday weekend.
One hundred people huddled around Bishop Larry Trotter at the corner of 79th and Yates – said to be one of the bloodiest corners in the city.
Trotter appealed for calm.
"We know that crime seems to increase in Chicago, especially around the holidays, so we're trying to send out a message before Memorial Day about putting the guns down," he said.
Trotter and others, including the parents of murdered young people, said there is an alternative. He invited young people to his church for a talent show.
City Hall dubs it "The Summer of Faith and Action" and is calling on neighborhood churches for help.
Will it make a difference? With the city already counting just more than 600 shootings this year, Mayor Emanuel says it must.
"It's the hopelessness or defeatism, if that's a word, that's what worries me, and I think tonight is about empowering the community," Emanuel tells CBS 2's Chris Martinez.
