AUBURN GRESHAM — Thanks to online pledges, students at Perspectives Charter Schools successfully raised $35,600 to produce a youth documentary about combating gun violence.
Last month students attending several campuses by the charter operator launched an online campaign on Kickstarter to raise money to complete a documentary it had started but needed $35,000 to complete. Should additional expenses occur during filming Perspectives Charter Schools would pick up the tab, according to Shayla Butler, a spokeswoman for Perspectives.
"We will end filming at the end of the summer and the documentary should be complete by fall," said Butler. "The documentary will be filmed all over Chicago and at our schools. We’ve already completed some filming at our Auburn Gresham campus."
A June 5 peace march students held in Bronzeville will also be part of the documentary, added Butler, which she expects to be completed before school resumes August 18.
Razia Hutchins, a 17-year-old Perspectives junior and Auburn Gresham resident, said she helped organize the project because violence is taking a toll on youths.
"By living in Auburn Gresham, I am affected by violence every day," said Hutchins, who attends Perspectives' South Loop campus. "But crime is everywhere, not just on the South Side. It is on the East Side, West Side, North Side and Downtown."
One reason the violence continues in Chicago, she said, is "because people don't speak up. That's why people do what they do."
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