Alderman, Faith Leaders Attempt to 'Bridge Divide' in Mt. Greenwood

CHICAGO, IL -- Hundreds of protesters and counter protesters turned out Sunday to a Mt. Greenwood street corner where a 25-year-old African American man was fatally shot by an off-duty police officer after he allegedly pointed a gun during a road rage incident earlier this month.

The Revolution Club of Chicago -- an organization that bills itself as the voice of the Revolution Communist Party USA -- staged an anti-white supremacist rally that drew boos and jeers from Blue Lives Matter supporters.

“We don’t hate, you hate,” a police supporter yelled at the Revcom demonstrators.

Ald. Matt O’Shea (19th) and faith leaders moved down Kedzie Avenue lined with hundreds of Chicago police officers to the Mt. Greenwood Library, carrying placards that said “Let’s Talk” for a unity dialogue.

“You’re on the wrong side, Matt,” residents yelled as O’Shea made his way toward the library.

Outside the library, members of Showing Up for Racial Justice, that had staged heated demonstration on Election Day in the Mt. Greenwood that drew hundreds of Blues Lives Matter counter protesters, debated whether they should go inside.

“It doesn’t look that the other side is here,” one of the SURJ members said. They did not stay.

The news media was only briefly allowed inside the library for what was to be a private meeting. O’Shea got up and thanked participants for their courage following weeks of ugly protests painting Mt. Greenwood as a racist neighborhood.

“It doesn’t matter what community you’re in in this country,” O’Shea told the participants as they broke pizza together. “There is hate in every community. “What I hope to achieve today is to turn that corner and build a bridge. I want to bring people together and talk about what we can do moving forward. I stand in full support of the men and women of the Chicago Police Department and the difficult job they have to do everyday.”

Outside the library, O’Shea and other meeting organizations addressed the media. Bishop James Duke, of the Liberation Christian Center in Englewood, hoped that the meeting would become a “paradigm” of communities setting down their “preconceived prejudices" so they “don’t turn into racism and biases.”

“The conversation has to be had. There is so much racial tension and strife because of the recent election of Donald Trump and all that goes along with that,” Dukes said.”This is not a cookie cutting kumbaya meeting. This is a real meeting between different cultures who are trying to get a real understanding of each other and still survive..”

The alderman was asked what more he could do to reach out to the hundreds of people down the street packing the intersection.

“It’s like anything in life,” O’Shea said. “You work on solving the problem or you can be part solution. We walked down the street 100 strong, black, white, Hispanic, inviting people to be part of the discussion. We have 100 people in there. We’re going to work together. Someone who doesn’t want to come in they missed out."