I will never forget one of my earliest conversations with Ted Kennedy on the Senate floor.
We were discussing his take on Chicago leaders and he said: “The most important person you need to know is Bernice Weissbourd.”
This amazing woman, who passed away last week, had dedicated her life to understanding that saving the next generation of children required saving the next generation of parents.
Kennedy counted on Bernice and her research to make the case for quality day care and early childhood investments, which really worked.
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Now we face gun violence in unprecedented numbers and too many children adrift in a deadly sea. Bernice Weissbourd understood that challenge and spent her life showing us that strengthening families is essential to bringing peace to our streets.
Her voice will be missed, but her work can still give us hope.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois
Stop drifting events to keep streets safe
Saturday night at approximately 11:15 p.m I found myself in a dangerous situation as I was exiting I-55 at Pulaski Road after returning from a family get-together. A car with two masked occupants began to ride my bumper as I proceeded up the off ramp. It was apparent that the driver was in a hurry, and continued to ride my bumper as I turned onto South Pulaski. I thought I was going to be a victim of some type of criminal activity.
As we approached a red light, street-racing cars swarmed the area and some stopped to let occupants out onto the street. The car riding my bumper suddenly drove recklessly around me and quickly turned down a side street to park. Within a minute or two, the area was illegally taken over by street drifting racers, leaving motorists like myself confused, frightened and trapped.
Luckily I was able to make a U-turn and take an alternate route home. But I encountered more cars roaring down streets headed toward this illegal drifting event.
I told my loved ones what happened and that I feared something much worse would take place. The next morning, I was horrified to learn that five individuals were shot, three killed, at an illegal drifting event in Brighton Park early Sunday around the area of Archer and Kedzie.
I and other motorists who were only trying to get safely home that Saturday night could have become victims if a mass shooting had taken place at that drifting event. The participants and attendees of these events have a total disregard for law and put lives at risk. This summer, police officers were attacked with rocks, bottles, and fireworks by participants and attendees. I fear that our communities will witness more of these illegal events, and more lives will be lost.
I’m tired of some politicians and community organizers making excuses for participants and attendees, when we now see one of the horrible outcomes. There must be stronger laws enacted with harsher penalties for participants.
Mario Moreno, Chicago
