Chicago opens emergency assistance center following recent acts of violence

CHICAGO (WGN) – On the heels of a wave of recent violence, including a mass shooting in the River North neighborhood last week, a temporary emergency assistance center was opened to offer support services for people impacted across the city.  

The announcement to open the center in the South Deering neighborhood was made by Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office and the Chicago Police Department’s Offices of Equity Engagement and Victim Services.

“We want to create spaces that people can come in, and really bring the services out to them, to meet people where they’re at,” Mike Milstein said. “Really, anything that anybody needs to help start their recovery journey is readily available here at the center.

Milstein, who serves as the Deputy Director for the Chicago Police Department’s Office of Equity Engagement and Victim Services, said people were able to connect with crisis counselors, safety planning, applications for crime victim compensation, and other support services.

The emergency assistance center’s opening also comes after a violent holiday weekend that saw at least 40 people shot, nine fatally, in Chicago.

Despite these numbers, Mayor Brandon Johnson said this year was the least violent Fourth of July weekend the city has seen in six years.

The emergency assistance center, located at 1741 East 95th Street, was open Wednesday from 4-7 p.m., and staff was on hand to help those who came out with victim compensation applications, crisis counseling and other support systems. Over 100 people came out to learn more about the services offered.

Some family members and survivors of the River North mass shooting that left four people dead and 14 others wounded also came out to the center.

On Wednesday, July 2, the shooting unfolded outside the Artis Restaurant and Lounge, where an album release party was held for Chicago drill rapper Mello Buckzz, born Melanie Doyle, who was celebrating her new album, HollyHOOD.

The victims were identified as Taylor Walker, 26, Leon Andrew Henry, 25, Devonte Terrell Williamson, 23, and Aviance King, 27. According to family of Williamson, he had been dating Mello Buckzz.  

Police sources told WGN News the shooting is believed to have stemmed from a feud between South Side gangs. The artist has previously claimed to be affiliated with a gang faction based on Chicago’s south side, which has known ties to numerous deadly shootings in recent years.

Raheem McCaskill was at the party and said he went to go check on his car after he realized he got a parking ticket.

“As I’m talking about the ticket, I hear a lot of shots go off and I look around to try to see where they’re coming from,” McCaskill said. “I see people running towards me and once I see people running towards me, I busted a U-turn, and I basically leave that area.”

McCaskill said he was stopped by police after he sped off from the scene. He quickly realized how deadly the shooting was.

“I was actually kind of confused because the first thing I thought was, dang, it’s almost all women outside,” McCaskill said. “I get some people have beef and they wanna get whoever they can, but it’s like when a crowd is majority women, I really just didn’t understand like why would you do something like that.”

Stories of the lives lost, and people wounded have surfaced since the shooting.

“It’s just crazy because one of the girls that passed away, she wouldn’t have died if she didn’t stay back to get her pictures printed out,” McCaskill said.

While drill music itself is known to make references to violence, McCaskill said people have been very quick to blame the artist for the shooting, and feels that shouldn’t be the case.

“I understand she has gangster rap lyrics, but that’s the music aspect of it, she still is a woman at the end of the day. She’s not the person going around shooting people,” McCaskill said.

Since the shooting, a fundraiser has been launched to help the owners of the restaurant and lounge, who are said to be facing what organizers call emotional and financial hardship.

The city has since forced the business to temporarily close after the shooting. While the venue had a pending liquor license, the ward’s alderman told WGN News it had only a ‘BYOB’ license since its April opening.

“Ironically, some of the conditions of that liquor license that was pending were things like ‘don’t use promoters’ and ‘don’t offer hard liquor bottle service,’ and it’s our understanding both of those things happened last night at this venue,” Reilly said.