Chicago police Supt. Larry Snelling at a news conference Wednesday outside the emergency assistance center at Richard J. Daley Academy in Back of the Yards. “As communities, we have to come together to combat the number of people who are out here committing these violent crimes,” he said.
Cindy Hernandez/Sun-Times
An emergency assistance center opened Wednesday to offer services to Back of the Yards residents in response to a mass shooting that left a 9-year-old girl dead and 10 others wounded over the weekend.
Chicago police and community organizations gathered at Richard J. Daley Academy, 5024 S. Wolcott Ave., to provide information about available services to people affected by violent crimes.
“We have to think about people who have been victimized by gun violence,” Chicago police Supt. Larry Snelling said at a news conference at the site. “This is why we are all here today. I can’t say enough about this community. The number of people showing support for these families is just amazing. And that’s just what we need, we need that support, the families need that support, the children need that level of support.”
Representatives from several community organizations were present to distribute information on counseling, victim compensation, after-school programs for children and property repair.
“Families coming through here today have been appreciative,” said Leslie Guzman, the victims’ services supervisor at UCAN, a social services organization. “We’ve been making them aware of the resources that are at their disposal, so that they know that they’re not alone in going through this community trauma. We’re just making sure that they know we are here for them.”
Although the center was only open for a few hours, many of the organizations present offer year-round services.
Snelling said anyone who is in need of victim services can call (312) 745-6340.
There were at least 48 people shot over the weekend, including 11 shot during the attack Saturday night in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.
Family members were outside, in the 2000 block of West 52nd Street, celebrating a relative’s confirmation when shots were fired, killing 9-year-old Ariana Molina. Three other children and seven adults were also wounded.
A GoFundMe account set up to help Ariana’s family has raised $18,000 to help the family with expenses.
“As communities, we have to come together to combat the number of people who are out here committing these violent crimes,” Snelling said.
Snelling said the mass shooting is still under investigation and did not offer any further details.