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AMENDMENT TO HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 97

2    AMENDMENT NO. ___. Amend House Joint Resolution 97 by
3deleting everything after the heading and replacing it with
4the following:
 
5    "WHEREAS, On Monday, July 4, 2022, the City of Highland
6Park and thousands of its residents and neighbors gathered for
7its annual Fourth of July parade; and
 
8    WHEREAS, For generations, Highland Park has hosted this
9parade, one of the largest Fourth of July gatherings in the
10northern suburbs of Chicago; and
 
11    WHEREAS, At 10:14 a.m., tragedy struck as an alleged lone
12gunman opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle at the
13intersection of 2nd Street and Central Avenue in downtown
14Highland Park; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In less than one minute, the assailant shot 83
2bullets into the crowd, killing 7 and injuring dozens; and
 
3    WHEREAS, As residents ran from the gunfire, placed their
4bodies over their loved ones, and sought safety, first
5responders who had come to watch the parade put themselves in
6harm's way; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members
8and community volunteers rushed to the scene and bravely
9worked side by side with fire and police personnel and medical
10professionals, helping to save lives through their quick
11action; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Law enforcement officers from Highland Park and
13hundreds of others throughout the State of Illinois and at all
14levels of government worked together to quickly secure
15downtown Highland Park and later apprehend the suspect; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Mayor Nancy Rotering admirably and strongly led
17the grieving Highland Park community in the minutes
18immediately after the shooting and in the weeks and months
19following the shooting, as the international community looked
20to her leadership; and
 
21    WHEREAS, City Manager Ghida Neukirch selflessly ran to the

 

 

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1scene of the shooting to provide first aid to gunshot victims,
2going far above and beyond her duties and providing
3extraordinary care to the Highland Park community in the
4moments following the shooting; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Physicians, nurses, and other staff raced to
6Highland Park Hospital to assist the injured, some coming
7straight from the parade, doing incredible work under intense
8and difficult circumstances; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Hundreds of therapists, counselors, and social
10workers have supported those experiencing trauma from what
11they witnessed during and after the shooting; therefore, be it
 
12    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
13HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
14SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we mourn the lives lost at the
15hands of gunfire in the City of Highland Park on July 4, 2022
16and all those around the State of Illinois who have been lost
17to gun violence and recognize the surviving families that live
18with the trauma of their losses; and be it further
 
19    RESOLVED, That we especially remember the lives of
20Katherine Goldstein, Irina McCarthy, Kevin McCarthy, Stephen
21Straus, Jacquelyn Sundheim, Nicholas Toledo-Zaragoza, and
22Eduardo Uvaldo; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That we honor the City of Highland Park and its
2law enforcement, first responders, and community leaders for
3their service to the people of Illinois; and be it further
 
4    RESOLVED, That we urge leaders to continue to do
5everything in their power to ensure no other community
6experiences the trauma of gun violence, so that this horrific
7tragedy shall not be in vain; and be it further
 
8    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
9delivered to the City of Highland Park."