Elgin peace walk a message to gangs

Elgin residents Friday night said they are taking back the streets after the city's recent rash of gang-related violence.

Nearly 100 people gathered at Clara Howard Park on the city's east side for a peace walk with neighbors, police officers and local leaders.

"This is probably the most powerful message we can send to those few that perpetrate violent acts," Mayor Ed Schock said. "The streets don't belong to them. This is our community, not theirs."

The city has had at least six shootings in the past two months, which have left two dead and four injured.

Two of the shootings were near schools -- one just after classes let out at Sheridan Elementary School, and the other while 7- and 8- year-olds were playing football and cheerleading at Drake Field.

Police have said they've made arrests in three of the six shootings.

Although they haven't said whether the latest shooting -- where a teenage boy was shot in the back Wednesday -- is gang related.

"There is no better police department anywhere than the one we have in Elgin," said Schock, pointing to the city's declining crime rate in recent years. "Elgin is a safe community. We can't let the events of one month color our perceptions."

Friday night's peace walk was organized by the Summit Park Neighborhood Association, but it drew folks from around the city.

Jim Lewis, vice president of the Summit Park neighbors, said he was pleased with the turnout, but would "like to see a couple thousand here."

"The police have been very good about quashing this for years," Lewis said of the gang violence. "We want to let them know we're not going to put up with this."

Gang violence "happens from time to time," said state Sen. Michael Noland, an Elgin democrat. "But we have a safe community by and large."

"We're not going to stand for this," Noland said. "We're not going to stand for random acts of violence."