It was a wonderful moment for me and others who worked closely with “Chairman Fred” when Mayor Brandon Johnson declared Aug. 30 as Fred Hampton Day — a long-overdue recognition of a young, brilliant leader cut down in his prime.
Yet only two weeks later, when I read that the weekend of Sept. 16 was just the second weekend this year in which no homicides had occurred, I was struck by the reality that the mayor’s well-intentioned actions are likely to be meaningless if the day becomes just another moment for a parade or a breakfast or talks about how Hampton was slain.
