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1 | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, On Monday, July 4, 2022, the City of Highland | ||||||
3 | Park and thousands of its residents and neighbors gathered for | ||||||
4 | its annual Fourth of July parade; and
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5 | WHEREAS, For generations, Highland Park has hosted this | ||||||
6 | parade, one of the largest Fourth of July gatherings in the | ||||||
7 | northern suburbs of Chicago; and
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8 | WHEREAS, At 10:14 a.m., tragedy struck as an alleged lone | ||||||
9 | gunman opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle at the | ||||||
10 | intersection of 2nd Street and Central Avenue in downtown | ||||||
11 | Highland Park; and
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12 | WHEREAS, In less than one minute, the assailant shot 83 | ||||||
13 | bullets into the crowd, killing 7 and injuring dozens; and
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14 | WHEREAS, As residents ran from the gunfire, placed their | ||||||
15 | bodies over their loved ones, and sought safety, first | ||||||
16 | responders who had come to watch the parade put themselves in | ||||||
17 | harm's way; and
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18 | WHEREAS, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members | ||||||
19 | and community volunteers rushed to the scene and bravely | ||||||
20 | worked side by side with fire and police personnel and medical |
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1 | professionals, helping to save lives through their quick | ||||||
2 | action; and
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3 | WHEREAS, Law enforcement officers from Highland Park and | ||||||
4 | hundreds of others throughout the State of Illinois and at all | ||||||
5 | levels of government worked together to quickly secure | ||||||
6 | downtown Highland Park and later apprehend the suspect; and
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7 | WHEREAS, Mayor Nancy Rotering admirably and strongly led | ||||||
8 | the grieving Highland Park community in the minutes | ||||||
9 | immediately after the shooting and in the weeks and months | ||||||
10 | following the shooting, as the international community looked | ||||||
11 | to her leadership; and
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12 | WHEREAS, City Manager Ghida Neukirch selflessly ran to the | ||||||
13 | scene of the shooting to provide first aid to gunshot victims, | ||||||
14 | going far above and beyond her duties and providing | ||||||
15 | extraordinary care to the Highland Park community in the | ||||||
16 | moments following the shooting; and
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17 | WHEREAS, Physicians, nurses, and other staff raced to | ||||||
18 | Highland Park Hospital to assist the injured, some coming | ||||||
19 | straight from the parade, doing incredible work under intense | ||||||
20 | and difficult circumstances; and
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21 | WHEREAS, Hundreds of therapists, counselors, and social |
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1 | workers have supported those experiencing trauma from what | ||||||
2 | they witnessed during and after the shooting; and | ||||||
3 | WHEREAS, Gun violence remains a deeply concerning issue | ||||||
4 | across the State, with numerous incidents highlighting the | ||||||
5 | urgent need for effective prevention strategies; and | ||||||
6 | WHEREAS, It is essential to acknowledge recent incidents | ||||||
7 | that have underscored the devastating impact of gun violence | ||||||
8 | on individuals, families, and communities in Chicago; and | ||||||
9 | WHEREAS, From May 12 to May 14, 2023, there were eight | ||||||
10 | fatalities and 20 others injured due to gun violence in the | ||||||
11 | City of Chicago, leaving a profound impact on the affected | ||||||
12 | community; and | ||||||
13 | WHEREAS, Another incident on May 6, 2023 in South Side | ||||||
14 | Avalon Park resulted in the loss of Chicago police officer | ||||||
15 | Aréanah Preston and inflicted immeasurable pain on the | ||||||
16 | families and friends left to cope with the aftermath; and | ||||||
17 | WHEREAS, These incidents serve as heartbreaking reminders | ||||||
18 | of the urgent need for comprehensive approaches to gun | ||||||
19 | violence prevention, encompassing community-based solutions, | ||||||
20 | law enforcement efforts, and policy reforms; and |
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1 | WHEREAS, It is crucial to recognize the collective grief | ||||||
2 | and trauma experienced by those directly affected by these | ||||||
3 | incidents, as well as the enduring impact on the broader | ||||||
4 | Chicago community; therefore, be it
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5 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | ||||||
6 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF | ||||||
7 | REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we declare July 2 | ||||||
8 | through July 8, 2023 as "Gun Violence Memorial and Prevention | ||||||
9 | Week" in the State of Illinois; and be it further
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10 | RESOLVED, That we mourn the lives lost at the hands of | ||||||
11 | gunfire in the City of Highland Park on July 4, 2022; and be it | ||||||
12 | further
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13 | RESOLVED, That we remember all gun violence victims in the | ||||||
14 | City of Chicago; and be it further | ||||||
15 | RESOLVED, That we especially remember the lives of | ||||||
16 | Katherine Goldstein, Irina McCarthy, Kevin McCarthy, Stephen | ||||||
17 | Straus, Jacquelyn Sundheim, Nicholas Toledo-Zaragoza, Eduardo | ||||||
18 | Uvaldo, and Aréanah Preston; and be it further | ||||||
19 | RESOLVED, That we remember all of those around the State | ||||||
20 | of Illinois who have been lost to gun violence; and be it | ||||||
21 | further |
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1 | RESOLVED, That we recognize the surviving family members | ||||||
2 | who live with the trauma of their losses; and be it further | ||||||
3 | RESOLVED, That we honor the City of Highland Park, the | ||||||
4 | City of Chicago and their law enforcement, first responders, | ||||||
5 | and community leaders for their service to the people of | ||||||
6 | Illinois; and be it further
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7 | RESOLVED, That we urge leaders to continue to do
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8 | everything in their power to ensure communities across the | ||||||
9 | State do not experience the trauma of gun violence, so that | ||||||
10 | these horrific tragedies shall not be in vain; and be it | ||||||
11 | further
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12 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
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13 | delivered to the City of Highland Park and the City of Chicago.
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