CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The Little Village community continues to mourn the death of Adam Toledo and while there are calls for justice, there are also those keeping an open mind after police bodycam footage of the boy’s shooting was released Thursday.
Many in the community continue to say that Chicago Police Officer Eric Stillman, who is white, was just doing his job protecting the community when he encountered Toledo, who is Latino, in a Little Village alleyway on March 29, ending in the fatal shooting of the seventh-grader.
A mural has now been painted on the fence near where that encounter took place, and where the community now holds vigil.
Forty-year-old Javier Malave and other men his age who have spoken with WBBM said what they see in the bodycam footage and the mural reminds them of how their lives could have turned out.
“I feel for the family, and friends…it’s sad that it was a child,” said Malave, who has a 20-year-old daughter.
Malave said he is sympathetic toward police officers in general and understands the dilemma Stillman may have faced.
“At 2:30 in the morning, who is going to put their life on the line to run down an alley and not know what to expect? They have kids at home a wife at home, we can’t look at things one sided,” he said.
A healing circle has formed Saturday in the alley near the corner of 24th Street and Sawyer Avenue where the shooting happened. Vehicles line the nearby streets as some park, get out and walk to take a look at the mural painted by Chicago artist Pablo Serrano.
A rainbow of colors painted on a brown wooden fence are interrupted only by a set of angel wings attached to the silhouette of a young boy with his hands raised.
Looking at the mural, Malave said it is a step toward healing.
“It’s going to be a while before the family gets closure. It takes time to heal.” Malave said.
Malave did, however, share what he said he and others feel needs to happen to bring closure for the community.
“Justice, that’s it. Justice. Everyone saw it, everyone saw it,” Malave said.
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