CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A Chicago pastor with a deep history of fighting violence is challenging political leaders, faith leaders, and everyone else to take some responsibility for the violence in the city and do more to be part of the solution.
The Rev. Ira Acree has, for decades, been fighting violence from his church on Chicago’s West Side and as part of the Leader’s Network with Rev. Marshall Hatch and Rev. Cy Fields.
Today, Acree said, the finger-pointing needs to stop and everyone needs to step up and do more.
"Nobody is taking responsibility. Nobody. I mean all you hear is the blame game. If every institution would say 'we're going to do our part' - faith leaders, it would be worth their weight in gold to come do some community outreach in these neighborhoods that are suffering," he said.
Acree and other faith leaders, who are part of the Leader’s Network, said they’re stepping up and taking responsibility and pledging to do more and are challenging others, including political leaders, to do the same.
"We don't need political leaders acting like a bunch of children, saying it’s not my fault, it's her fault. They need to do this. No. We need to have something big happening in Congress. No. We can't sit around and wait on Congress. We can't wait on President Biden to come and save us. We must take responsibility and there must be a collaborative effort among multiple institutions, because there has been collaborative failure,” he said.
Acree said the city s in an undeclared state of emergency; doing what’s being done now is clearly not enough.
He’s challenging other faith leaders, who have never done community outreach, to get involved.
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