Watch CBS News

City Organizations Try To Fight Spike In Chicago Gun Violence Following 4 Recent Mass Shootings

CHICAGO (CBS) -- With three mass shooting in Chicago in less than a week, four in the past two weeks, gun violence in Chicago is spiking. City leaders say they have a plan for the summer, and local organizations are trying hard to make a difference.

At a shooting in Chatham Saturday, nine people were shot, including one killed. In Englewood early Tuesday, eight were shot, including four killed. And late Tuesday five people were shot in West Garfield Park.

They were mothers, fathers, sons and daughters.

So how does the city's summer safety strategy and the Chicago Police Department's community policing plan factor in now? Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Police Supt. David Brown shared their plans to target the city's most violent neighborhoods.

"We are flooding these zones," Lightfoot said.

"Our officers will be working with the community, particularly with our young people," said Brown.

Community leaders said Wednesday they were not seeing anything new yet.

"Being here today, we haven't seen or witnessed it yet. So I just wonder what is being deployed or what is happening differently?" said Asiaha Butler.

CBS 2's Tara Molina turned to some of the city's other boots on the ground -- one of the Chicago organizations committed to doing the work in these neighborhoods.

"I've been doing this work about 20 years or so across the city of Chicago," said Steve Perkins with Metropolitan Family Services.

Perkins grew up in the area and leads the outreach program for Metropolitan Peace Initiatives.

"Now we have more boots on the ground," he said.

They responded, just like police did, to the mass shooting in Englewood Tuesday, but they had a different mission.

"It happened at 5 o'clock in the morning," he said. "About 6:30 that morning, we already had peope responding to that to prevent retaliation. We already had counselors, behavior health specialists ministering to those families, pastors ministering and helping wrap around.

His message is they are there to help.

"I'd like to offer some hope," he said.

As of Wednesday evening, police said no one was in custody in connection with those mass shootings, and they are still investigating.

Lightfoot's office did not respond Wednesday afternoon to questions about whether the city's summer safety strategy has been updated since announced about a month ago.

Below is a list of Community Areas and partner organizations:

Austin
Institute for Nonviolence Chicago (INVC)
Humboldt Park
Alliance of Local Service Orgs. (ALSO)
West Garfield Park
Institute for Nonviolence Chicago (INVC)
East Garfield Park
Breakthrough
North Lawndale
UCAN
Little Village (South Lawndale)
New Life Centers
Enlace
Back of the Yards (New City)
Precious Blood
West Englewood
Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN)
Target Area DevCorp
Englewood
Target Area DevCorp
Public Equity
Roseland
UCAN
Greater Grand Crossing
Acclivus
South Shore
Claretian
South Chicago
Claretian
Auburn Gresham
Target Area DevCorp
Chatham
Target Area DevCorp
Chicago Lawn
SWOP (Southwest Organizing Project)
Avondale
Alliance of Local Service Orgs. (ALSO)
Rogers Park
ONE Northside
Uptown
ONE Northside
Washington Park
Acclivus
Woodlawn
Project Hood
Albany Park
Alliance of Local Service Orgs. (ALSO)
Near West Side
Together Chicago
Belmont-Cragin
Alliance of Local Service Orgs. (ALSO)
Lower West Side
New Life Centers
Enlace
Brighton Park
New Life Centers
Gage Park
SWOP (Southwest Organizing Project)
South Deering
Claretian

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.