CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Residents and advocates in Chinatown and joining calls for more action to end gun violence in Chicago, after the shootings of two people Monday morning in their own community.
Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th Ward, said residents are scared after two people suffered multiple gunshot wounds in a shooting in the 300 block of West 23rd Street.
"We cannot continue to normalize this level of violence," he said.
He led an online news conference saying police must do more to go after those who wield weapons on the streets.
"Focusing on seizing guns has also failed, because we are not focusing on the segment of the population that is at a higher risk of engaging in gun violence," Ald. Sigcho-Lopez said.
But he and Grace Chan McKibben of the Coalition for a Better Chinese-American Community agree police are only one part of the solution.
"Investment to the community in terms of education, workforce development, youth engagement, housing, and other resources are needed," Chan McKibben said.
Other Chinatown community leaders added that police need to be closer to the people of the area.
But, Dr. Hong Liu, of the Midwest Asian Health Association, said other, deeper issues must be addressed too. Liu said more mental health programs are needed too.
"It is important to invest in mental health intervention services and other violence prevention programs in our communities," she said.
And Consuela Hendricks, co-founder of the group People Matter, said there must be more resources and efforts citywide.
"Tensions are rising due to inadequate resources across communities. If we want to solve gun violence in Chinatown, we must solve and tackle gun violence in Chicago," she said.
Her group said some programs should be in action by the fall.
All say these shootings can’t be allowed to become “normal.”
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