A Chicago lawmaker is promoting a petition that asks for gangs to cease fire from 9am to 9pm, in order to keep innocent bystanders out of the deadly gang crossfire.
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Chicago Alderwoman Maria Hadden — who identifies herself on her website as the first “Black, queer woman” to serve on the Chicago City Council — is backing a new proposal called “The People’s Ordinance.”
The petition, being pushed by Rogers Park-based community group Native Sons, kindly asks that city gangsters cease fire, refraining from firing their guns at each other, between the daylight hours of 9am and 9pm.
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Speaking with CWBChicago, Native Sons co-founder Tatiana Atkins said, “We have to start somewhere. Our goal is to approach our city’s gun violence problem strategically and not all at once. Things didn’t become this way overnight, and change won’t happen overnight.”
Atkins affirmed that the purpose of the proposed ordinance is to prevent glorifying the criminal lifestyle and reduce the risk to innocent bystanders who are “not involved in high risk activities.” It is noted that there has been a significant uptick in violence this year in Rogers Park, caused by various Chicago gangs, who are also harming innocent bystanders.
She explained, “Under this ordinance, we ask that people stop associating with and glorifying’ shooters,’ stop glorifying ‘switches,’ and stop wearing those ski masks everywhere which perpetuates you as some ‘opp.’ When those who live a certain lifestyle try to hang with ‘regular’ class citizens, they put everyone at risk.”
Atkins continued, “If people know that after a certain hour, the likelihood of them being shot by an unknown and unprovoked assailant are at a higher risk, they will be less likely to be out and about, and they may become more proactive with the supervision of their children. At the end of the day, five-year-olds are being killed by gun violence, 14-year-olds are being killed by gun violence, 78-year-olds are being killed by gun violence, pregnant women are being killed by gun violence, young boys with bright futures are being killed by gun violence, fathers are being killed by gun violence, and this shouldn’t be happening.”
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Atkins added, “We are not waiting for a bill or law to enforce what we feel needs to be done – this is a movement being carried along by social media and the media.” She also said that since going public with the new initiative, Rogers Park-based Alderman Maria Hadden recently promoted the cease fire initiative for Chicago gangs in an email newsletter.
In addition to Alderwoman Hadden supporting the proposal, Atkins hopes that more alders and police district council members will follow suit and endorse Native Sons and their new petition. Atkins explained. “We live in a trend society, let’s get the right things trending – the more media, government officials, and community residents believe in this ordinance and stand behind it, the more likely the people will align with the ordinance.”
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