Summer is winding down in Chicago, but the city's largest mass shooting this season happened over the weekend.
At least 41 people were shot, including three killed, in gun violence throughout the city from Friday to Sunday night. That includes the 15 people shot, one of them fatally, in Washington Park on Saturday night.
Saturday began peacefully in Washington Park. A number of former residents of the now-shuttered public housing Robert Taylor Homes were having a reunion. But at the end of the night, it turned into violence and chaos.
"This is not something we should embrace as a norm. This is unacceptable and we need to do better as a community to get out in front of these incidents," said Bamani Obadele with the community health organization Acclivus Group.
Obadele is a former resident of Robert Taylor Homes who says he believes the shooter targeted 35-year-old Rontonio Guterz, who was killed. Most of those are injured are believed to be innocent bystanders.
"I really want to speak to the shooters. You know what you're doing is wrong. You know you don't get a pass to kill people and go into these large gatherings shooting innocent people," said Pastor Sandie Norman with Life Beyond Limit Inc. "You saw trauma, people hurt, people don't know if their families were wounded."
Norman continued, "We have a tendency to normalize 15 people that have been shot one day and the by tomorrow the issue goes away. And it should be more accountability."
Ironically, the Acclivus Group had a table in the park earlier in the day to offer information about their services, which include mental health therapy and crime intervention. Obadele is concerned that many young people will be scarred after witnessing the violence Saturday night.
A short distance away in Douglass Park, one person was killed and two others injured after being shot. The Acclivus Group is offering services to those affected by the shootings over the weekend.
"We must help young people understand this is not normal behavior, and this is not acceptable means to an end. We have to deal with conflict in a different way," Bamani said.
Chicago police say they have made no arrests so far in either of those shootings. Crimestoppers is offering a reward for information.
Acclivus will host an event Tuesday to help victims and their families at their office on 54th and Wentworth from 2-6 p.m.
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