NORTH CENTER — Neighbors have placed flowers and a message of love and support at the scene of a sexual assault that has shaken the North Center and Lincoln Square communities.
"Dear Sister, Know that the community is brokenhearted for what happened here," reads the note in the alley near Pensacola and Campbell avenues, where a 31-year-old woman was robbed and raped Sunday.
The message continues: "This kind of violence has also happened to too many of us. We offer our love and support. How can we help?"
At 9:10 p.m. on Sunday, the woman was walking in the 2500 block of West Pensacola Avenue when a man grabbed her from behind, robbed her, forced her into an alley and sexually assaulted her, police said.
The attack has shocked residents of the quiet area, typically considered among the safest in Chicago.
"Any of us could have been walking to Aldi or coming back from the train or a dinner out. .... The victim could have literally been any of us out and about last night," a neighbor posted on Facebook.
In response, neighbors are planning a community meeting to discuss "how we can collectively take action to ensure the protection of and care for all our neighbors," according to the event description.