CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — In the 1300 block of South Kedzie Avenue on Monday, representatives from several community organizations stood on a corner near a home where — last Thursday — 1-year-old Zaiden Collins was found “suffering trauma,” according to Chicago police.
He was soon pronounced dead at Mt. Sinai. The county medical examiner determined the boy’s death a homicide and child abuse case. The cause: blunt force trauma to his abdomen.
Nearly one week later, that determination remained all the information that police have shared with news outlets and the community.
“This is a 1-year-old child,” said Shawn Childs, the founder of the House Hope Foundation’s No Kids Die in the Chi. “It’s a 1-year-old child. All we ask is for the same help that Lincoln Park would get.”
Childs said if this happened in Lincoln Park, it would “be on every channel.”
“Why is it that if the community [doesn't] come together — scream, cry, kick and push — there is no help,” he said. “If this was Lincoln Park and a 1-year-old baby was found dead in the house, we know the media would be out there every day … I didn’t even see this on the news.”
Zerlina Smith-Members, a lifelong resident of the West Side, called for transparency from Chicago police in the investigation, as well as assurances that all is being done to determine the boy’s killer.
“We don’t know who beat the life out of a 1-year-old, and whoever took the life of a 1-year-old should be locked up,” Smith-Members said. “We should be out here as mothers, as fathers, as grandparents [and] as community making sure that we bring awareness to this one.”
Chicago police did not provide any updates Monday when contacted by the WBBM Newsroom. Officials only said “detectives are still investigating.”
Longtime community activist Eric Russell was elected in February to the Chicago Police District Council. Although he doesn’t officially assume office until next Tuesday, he reached out to CPD in the hopes of getting information on the investigation.
On Monday, Russell said he’s received no answers, which he added made him concerned about the department’s future willingness to cooperate with elected District Council members.
“It is our responsibility to be a liaison from the community to the police,” Russell said. “We talk about transparency. If there’s going to be a real partnership with district councilmen, it’s our responsibility not only to advocate for police reform, but also bring forward the concerns of the community.”
Another local leader present on Monday was Tio Hardiman, the president of Violence Interrupters. Hardiman’s question: “Where’s the outrage?”
“We would like to give this 1-year-old a voice today because it’s totally unacceptable for a baby to be killed anywhere — whether it be Chicago or anywhere throughout our nation,” said Hardiman. “We have to raise our voices, and we hope that we can bring some resolution to this baby who lost his life. It just hurts. [It] pierces my heart, as a grown man.”
Meanwhile, neighbors have been left to speculate over who may be responsible for Zaiden’s death, and while they continue waiting for answers, they’ve pointed to the need for more mental health resources.
“We don't know who did it, but we know it’s a mental problem,” said Childs. “We know in our communities that the mental health state that we’re dealing with is bad.”
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