HYDE PARK — Mothers Against Senseless Killings, also known as the "Army of Moms," will be joined by other community groups Saturday, this time in Hyde Park.
Tamar Manasseh was fed-up and formed the group in June to patrol the neighborhood where she grew up after the murder of Lucille Barnes, 34, in the 7500 block of South Stewart. She now lives in Bronzeville but said her roots are in Englewood. She and other mothers hoped to stop any retaliatory violence on Stewart and nearby streets after Barnes' shooting.
From 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday her group will patrol the area around 57th street and Kenwood Avenue with groups Men Against Senseless Killings and Hyde Park Kenwood Residents for Safer Chicago. They'll be recruiting residents for summer neighborhood patrols.
“Even with all of the talk of corruption, cover-ups, murder and the snow, we cannot forget that summer is coming, and all the violence and horror that too often comes along with it,” Manasseh said. “We must use the icy days of winter and the rainy days of spring to do away with the bloody days of a Chicago summer. This is our effort at being proactive instead of reactive."
They expanded their territory from 75th and Stewart to the 5300 block of South Aberdeen and May Street in October when a resident asked Manasseh through Facebook to come set up in Back of the Yards.
The block was the same area where a pregnant woman and her mother were killed on Sept. 28. Patricia Chew, who was pregnant, and her mother Lolita Wells were preparing for a trip to visit family when they were shot. Chew's 11-month-old son and two men were also injured in the shooting.
“You can’t tell people when they call for help, ‘No,’ especially when it is something as important as trying to save the lives of our children. You can’t say, ‘No, I can’t help you try to save your kids,’” Manasseh said.
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