Monday, April 17, 2023   |   View in browser

Reflecting on Wednesday's Tragedy

Wednesday was a terrible day in our community.

At the end of an unseasonably gorgeous day, a group of youth and young adults were gathered near Clark Street Beach when an altercation escalated to the point that gunshots were fired—one man was killed, and two youths were hurt. It was a senseless outbreak of violence, resulting in the loss of life and ripples of pain across our community.

I was not present at the beach, but later that evening I spent about an hour outside Evanston Hospital where the victims were being treated. A crowd of anguished people had gathered there, and the situation was on the brink of spiraling out of control—a circumstance that could have put yet more lives at risk. Our Evanston police officers were joined in their efforts to deescalate the situation by personnel from the Northwestern Police, Cook County Sheriff, and many neighboring communities’ police departments, including Skokie, Wilmette, Morton Grove, and more. I’m appreciative of each of these organizations for helping out in such a critical moment.

The investigation into this incident is ongoing, so more information about exactly what occurred and the next police steps will be forthcoming, but there’s already a lot that needs to be said. First of all, I want to respond to some questions I’ve received about the City’s decision-making and communications on Wednesday evening. The City quickly determined that this was not a random act and that there was no active shooter, and therefore that residents were not in any immediate threat. This view had a significant impact on our communication that evening. While I understand that some residents may have been puzzled as to why we didn’t issue a shelter in place order or otherwise give people immediate instructions on how to stay safe, I believe strongly that we made the right call—it’s completely essential to reserve those sorts of communications for when they’re necessary, so as to ensure that they’re taken as seriously as possible if they do ever have to occur.

Beyond the aftermath specific to the details of Wednesday’s tragedy, this is a horrifying reminder of the importance of our violence prevention work. The Evanston Police Department and Youth and Young Adult (YYA) section of our Parks, Recreation, and Community Services department have been collaborating in preparation for the summer. These efforts include establishing EPD’s annual Summer Operational Plan and coordinating our annual My City, Your City, Our City Safe Summer Initiative spearheaded by YYA. Furthermore, the following steps will be put in place:

• An additional beat specifically dedicated to the downtown/lakefront during the daytime hours.

• Two additional beats every day of the week during the evening hours that will focus on lakefront and beach patrols, neighborhood nuisance complaints and crime hotspots.

• EPD’s Community Relations Unit along with the Patrol Unit will attend block parties, fairs, youth camps and other events coordinated by the Parks and Recreation Department. 

• YYA will continue visiting area schools and providing support, including hosting healing circles each evening after school at both the Gibbs-Morrison Cultural Center and Robert Crown Community Center.

• YYA will provide additional outreach throughout the community, increasing visibility on the lakefront as many youth are making more  visits to the lakefront to pay their respects after the loss of their loved one.

• YYA is planning a number of events including, in partnership with Be Strong Families, the Evanston is Family Strong! Family Fun Fest on Sunday, April 30. There will also be a number of Violence Prevention Week (May 22 - May 26) activities. For more information about the April 30 event, visit marjorie-evanston.funraise.org. For more information about the "My City, Your City, Our City'' Safe Summer Initiative, visit cityofevanston.org/safesummer.

Finally, it is impossible to discuss Wednesday’s tragedy without addressing the continuing horror of guns, gun violence, and access to guns in our society. We know that without fundamentally limiting the availability of guns, we can never fully solve the problem of violence and safety. We also know that municipalities have far too little leeway on this issue, mostly because of the US Supreme Court’s terrible rulings, but also because of state and federal law.

That said, I am not willing to just lament how little power we have and throw in the towel. The City of Evanston will do everything we can to get guns off the streets, whether that’s continuing the buyback programs we’ve been holding for some time, participating in efforts to name, shame, and pressure gun manufacturers through the group Mayors Against Illegal Guns that I joined last fall, or other approaches. My office continues to work on innovative strategies to address the scourge of gun violence, and we’ll continue to be in touch about this.

For much of Wednesday, the mood in Evanston was joyous. The beautiful weather had people outdoors, enjoying one another’s company, and anticipating the summer. By the end of the day, we were in anguish. As we mourn the young man who is gone and give all our support and love to those who are grieving this loss, let us also be spurred to take the actions necessary to ensure that everyone in our community is guaranteed a safe, positive, healthy summer.

Sincerely,

Daniel Biss
Mayor, City of Evanston
dbiss@cityofevanston.org