CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- No matter how the City of Chicago gets through this painful aftermath of 13-year-old Adam Toledo’s killing at the hands of Chicago Police, there are other demons to confront before there can be a real recovery.
Sometimes choking up, Mayor Lightfoot said the city failed young Adam Toledo, failed to help him stay away from gangs, failed to slow the flow of guns onto the streets.
It’s as if those and all the other problems highlighted during the coronavirus pandemic, from racial inequities and poverty to police violence came together in the alley where the 13-year-old boy died. And Mayor Lightfoot seemed to feel the gravity of it.
"Whatever path we create to recovery from the immediate challenges our city faces, must also reckon with and address the historic wounds that have been aggravated and brought to full relief over the course of this long, difficult last year," she said.
More than once, the Mayor and Latino community leaders stressed that there is no single answer to finding a better day, but many and every answer is needed.
Raul Raymundo, co-founder of The Resurrection Project, joined Mayor Lightfoot’s call for calm during this time of anguish over Adam Toledo’s killing by police. But he, like some others, looked ahead, saying it’s past time the city and community groups focused on the root causes of the gang activity and violence.
The Mayor agreed, saying the path to recover isn’t just about getting guns off the streets, it’s about facing poverty and trauma in too many children’s lives and yes, she said, racism.
"We have to think about strategically what additional resources we need to be providing in partnership with organization on the ground, some of which are represented here. There's not going to be a one-size-fits-all fix, but we are also listening to our youth commissioners, who are themselves living this live and representing their peers," Lightfoot said.
Those young people may not have all the answers, but the Mayor admitted, no one does, and all must be heard.
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