_cropped_1648423394304.png)
Message from the President
Dr. Tasha Green Cruzat
When the week began, I was ready to email you about Juneteenth, the Fourth of July, and ensuring that every child has the resources he or she needs to be free and independent and to thrive. I was going to tell you that for many of our children that path is thwarted by poverty, poor schools, inadequate housing, and lack of access to high-quality health care. I was going to point out just a few data points regarding Illinois children that show clear racial and ethnic inequities in economic well-being, infant mortality, and proficiency in math. I was going to point out that in providing the keys to unlock any constraint our children face, allowing them to be independent and free to pursue their dreams, we could all benefit in countless ways.
Then the mass shooting in Highland Park occurred. Seven individuals watching the community’s Fourth of July parade are now dead and nearly 40 people injured.
Our hearts go out to the victims and their families as well as all the other residents of the community traumatized by the event. Such violence and trauma is, unfortunately, not unique to Highland Park.
According to the website www.gunviolencearchive.org, as of July 5th, there have been 322 mass shootings and 15 mass murders in just 2022. July 5th was the 186th day of the year. So, that’s 1.7 mass shootings per day in 2022. Of all tracked U.S. shootings, there have been 870 individuals under the age of 18 killed. Keep in mind that the organization notes these are just the number of verified deaths.
And let’s not ignore the gun violence that pervades many of our African-American and Latinx neighborhoods. A Chicago Sun-Times analysis of law enforcement and county medical examiner data, shows as of July 7th there have been 31 individuals under the age of 18 who were killed in Chicago shootings in 2022 (328 for all ages) and of that number 25 were African-American, two Hispanic, one white, and three of unknown race or ethnicity.
Let’s just be blunt. Non-military and non-public safety individuals do not need high-powered assault rifles. The U.S. formally adopted the second amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1791. It says: A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. We can debate all the possible interpretations and implications of that language at a later time. For now, I will just point out that in 1791 the most common type of guns were muskets and flintlock pistols…not AK-15 or M&P15 semiautomatic rifles.
There is another statistic from the past two weeks to keep in mind. While the numbers are not official yet, it appears the statewide voter turnout rate in Illinois’ June 28th election primary was around 20%. That means eight in ten eligible Illinois voters chose not to cast a ballot. Perhaps, just a few contested races in their communities didn’t motivate them. Yet, this is the starting point for deciding who will eventually hold the offices that in large part decide how we address crime, what social services we fund, and what type of education our children may receive.
Over the remaining weeks and months of 2022, Children’s Advocates for Change will be putting forward questions we believe you should ask any official running for office in November. What steps does that individual propose to see that no child is hungry, homeless, uneducated or lacking health care and is free of an environment of crime and violence? Without the proper resources, our children cannot be truly free and independent. Join us as we work to achieve that goal.
.png)
