Brona Tumulty and Gabriel Castillo
11 minutes ago
CHICAGO — Dozens of people rallied on the streets of the Near North Side on Saturday, hoping to make life better for young people in Illinois.
Members of the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL) held a march calling on lawmakers to address several issues affecting young people in Chicago and across the state.
Those issues include access to mental health care and often exposure to gun violence.
Members of the coalition said justice is at the core of the coalition.
“We work with parishes, nonprofits, unions, and one of the things we’re working on right now is increasing services for young people,” said CSPL board member Rita Cardoso.
Saturday’s rally came after numerous young lives were lost to gun violence, including 9-year-old Ariana Molina, who was killed in April in Back of the Yards, a neighborhood CSPL works hard to protect.
“We’re working to increase services for youth. These are high-risk areas, high-need areas,” Cardoso said.
Cardoso said adding additional mental health resources for young people in general is crucial.
“For example, the Proviso area. Proviso East, Proviso West. That’s one of the areas with a significantly higher suicide rate among young people. We’re working there to provide mental health services to young people,” Cardoso said.
Further investment in programs and youth activities is also high on the agenda, which is part of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s recently announced Summer Safety Plan.
“Prior to this election, he committed to working with CSPL, so we look forward to further discussions with him,” CSPL board chairman Anthony Williams said.
According to the latest data from the Chicago Police Department, there have been 824 shootings in Chicago so far this year, up 10% from the same period last year.
For more information about the organization, visit the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership website.
