Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Shooting of Pregnant Woman in Little Village Spurs Calls for Action

By Kelly Bauer | October 4, 2015 4:37pm
 Activist Raul Montes Jr. (center) was flanked by residents of Little Village during a news conference on Sunday. Montes said they are frustrated by violence in the area.
Activist Raul Montes Jr. (center) was flanked by residents of Little Village during a news conference on Sunday. Montes said they are frustrated by violence in the area.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo/Kelly Bauer

LITTLE VILLAGE — After an 18-year-old pregnant woman was shot in the area recently, an activist is calling on Little Village residents and politicians to fight violence in the neighborhood.

Raul Montes Jr., a local activist who called a news conference at 2656 S. Kildare St. Sunday after he said a woman was robbed at gunpoint at that site Friday. He also said in a news release that an 18-year-old woman who was shot Thursday night was pregnant.

Flanked by four Little Village residents, Montes said they fear the robbery will be followed by more, specifically on the west side of the neighborhood. He said the area has suffered due to a lack of political support and apathy.

"We've been put on a back burner," Montes said. "We're tired of it."

Little Village, which has seen more than 30 shootings since the beginning of the year, is ignored by politicians because many residents don't vote, according to Montes.

Bill Luna, a Mexican historian, teacher and youth boxing coach who spoke during the news conference, said the neighborhood's significant immigrant population doesn't understand the power of voting because many come from rural areas where their votes didn't impact leadership.

That makes it difficult to drum up support for anti-violence measures in the neighborhood, Montes said. Residents, many of whom are Latino, also fear their immigration status will be questioned or they'll be the victims of retaliation if they report violence in the neighborhood, Montes said.

The problems don't just lie with residents, Montes said: He also thinks attention and resources from leaders like Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Ald. Ricardo Munoz (22nd) are lacking. Montes and Luna want leaders to bring more programs to the neighborhood to keep kids out of trouble and help parents.

Munoz's office could not be reached for comment Sunday.

The activists called on Police Supt. Garry McCarthy to "saturate" the area with police and have officers patrol on foot to deter crime. Chicago Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment Sunday.

The most important thing would be for politicians to provide Little Village with resources and programs that would stop violence before it starts, Montes said.

"Otherwise they're curbing violence instead of preventing it," Montes said.

In particular, Montes hopes a YMCA can be built in the neighborhood because children have to cross gang lines to get to the nearest one on the border with Pilsen, he said. Luna said the area also needs a daycare that can help parents since much of the area's population is young.

For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here: