WEST PULLMAN — Dressed in red T-shirts, dozens of children in Chicago Public Schools' Safe Haven Program marched around a South Side church Wednesday, holding signs and asking drivers to honk their horns in support of peace.
Many of the 86 students enrolled in the summer program at Sheldon Heights Church of Christ, 11325 S. Halsted St. — one of 110 Safe Haven sites that took part in the rallies — had a personal connection to the violence.
Timothy Wright, 8, said he wished his favorite aunt was alive to march with him.
"A long time ago my auntie was shot and it mad me sad because I was really close to her," said Wright, a third grader at Alex Haley Elementary School in West Pullman. "I don't want to lose any more aunties."
Reginald Gilbert, 10, lives in Indiana but was attending Safe Haven for the second year at Sheldon Heights, where he is a member.
"I want people to understand that the reason we are doing this rally is to keep other people from being killed in Chicago," Gilbert said.
Debrashea Burton, 16, a junior at Thornton Fractional North High School in south suburban Calumet City, was also in her second year at the program at Sheldon Heights.
"Violence is not the answer to anything. I have had a lot of friends and relatives affected by violence so I take all these shootings personally," she said.
Myra Tolbert, 40, whose two children attending are in the program, was glad the city organized a citywide rally.
"It is a good idea to do rallies that involve children because they're the ones affected most by gun violence," said Tolbert, a West Pullman resident. "These types of rallies will let people know we want to keep our children safe."
The Rev. Leonardo Gilbert, pastor of Sheldon Heights Church of Christ and a West Pullman resident, spoke at the rally about staying safe during the summer.
"Violence is a year-round problem but it is especially troublesome during the summer when children are outside more," Gilbert told a crowd of 100 people. "But together if we stand together as a community we can face this problem head on and hopeful put an end to it."
Keith Pryor, a McDonald's Corp. franchise owner, said he was unable to participate in the anti-violence rally, but pitched in a different way: he donated sandwiches to all 86 children.
"Had I known about the rally sooner maybe I could have marched with them," said Pryor. "I saw the kids outside holding their signs up and wanted to do something to show my support."
Pryor's restaurant, 11421 S. Halsted St., is located down the street from the church.
He said that since Tuesday's thunderstorm that left many local residents without power, business had spiked thus allowing him to make the food donation.
"We did about $4,000 more in business yesterday [Tuesday]," Pryor said. "By the time the rally ended it was lunch time and I figured the kids were probably hungry."
