MOUNT GREENWOOD — A group of demonstrators plan to protest from 2-4 p.m. Sunday at 111th Street and Kedzie Avenue in Mount Greenwood, and some residents are hoping to find common ground during the event.
Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th) sent an email Saturday asking residents to gather as the protest is about to begin. He's asked those interested in finding common ground to "walk from the corner to Mount Greenwood Library for an open dialogue about peace and understanding."
The plan to go to the library replaces a previous proposal for those "interested in promoting peace" to walk from the protest site to nearby St. Christina Parish. O'Shea originally presented this idea via email on Thursday.
Regardless, O'Shea hopes the two sides will be able to break bread and talk about their differences in the library at 11010 S. Kedzie Ave. in Mount Greenwood. The idea surfaced after a pair of closed-door meetings between community residents and activists earlier this week.
"We're going to allow love, peace and understanding to defeat this war," said activist Eugene Stanley at a press conference after the second meeting Wednesday night.
It remains to be seen whether or not activists will accept the invitation and exactly how many residents will participate in the gathering. Those committed to attending the protest Sunday include the Revolution Club of Chicago, or RevCom, along with religious leaders and others.
In a media release issued ahead of the event, organizers asked supporters to "stand up against racist mob threats in Mount Greenwood." Indeed, the protest Sunday follows a pair of similar demonstrations that pitted black activists against a crowd of mostly white counter protesters, many of which held signs reading, "Blue Lives Matter."
The protests began in response to the fatal police shooting of a 25-year-old black man near 111th and Troy streets. Joshua Beal of Indianapolis was killed following a traffic altercation where an off-duty police officer intervened.
As part of the meeting Wednesday, residents and activists alike condemned racial slurs used at previous protests. Both parties also rebuked threats made against each other.
That said, the press release ahead of the Sunday event took sharper aim at the reaction to previous protests on the Far Southwest Side, calling those interested in attending the event to "oppose white supremacy."
"History has shown that you must go to where the attacks are the ugliest and the sharpest if you want to turn the tide of history," the release states.
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