Full Text of SJR0040 103rd General Assembly
SJ0040 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 12 | | WHEREAS, In less than one minute, the assailant shot 83 | 13 | | bullets into the crowd, killing 7 and injuring dozens; and
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 7 | | RESOLVED, That we urge leaders to continue to do
| 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
| 12 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
| 13 | | delivered to the City of Highland Park and the City of Chicago.
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