Benito Juarez college students stage stroll out in first day since Pilsen faculty taking pictures

Greater than 100 Benito Juarez college students joined a walkout noon Monday on the varsity’s first day of lessons since 4 teenagers have been shot and two have been killed Friday.

As the scholars gathered on the spot simply exterior their faculty constructing the place Nathan Billegas, 14, and Brandon Perez, 15, have been fatally shot, they raised their arms in an effort to reclaim the area.

“Allow us to pause now, aware of the reminiscences of our pricey brothers, far too younger, far too quickly, who’ve died in our midst,” Father Brendan Curran of the Resurrection Undertaking stated.

Dozens of volunteers, anti-violence organizers and preachers supported the shaken faculty group with balloons, indicators decrying gun violence and meals.

The scholars grew quiet as they launched the balloons — yellow and white spheres, black stars and pink hearts. Some teared up and leaned on each other as they regarded to the sky.

The scholars then marched within the streets round their Pilsen highschool, briefly shutting down small sections of Cermak Highway and Ashland Avenue.

“What do we wish? Justice. What do we’d like? Peace,” sophomore Kiya Vaughn, who helped manage the walkout, shouted right into a bullhorn from the entrance of the pack.

The marchers paused as one scholar took the bullhorn.

“Begin defending our kids who come to high school to be taught, to develop into one thing in life. All you care about is gun violence? Get out! That’s not one thing to be happy with. Weapons will not be one thing to flex,” she stated.

[ ‘I’m just thinking about her, hoping that she’s OK,’ says classmate of girl wounded during shooting at Benito Juarez high school that left 2 students dead, 2 others injured ]

Two others shot included a 15-year-old woman and a 15-year-old boy. Brandon was a scholar at Juarez, whereas Nathan was a scholar at Chicago Bulls Faculty Prep, police stated. The surviving woman attends Juarez and the surviving boy is a scholar at Noble UIC Faculty Prep, based on police.

After the demonstration, sophomore Camila Lopez advised reporters she was a buddy of Brandon’s. She remembered him bringing her meals and texting her about his little sister.

“He was at all times so candy,” Lopez stated. “I used to be trying again via our messages and it simply broke me.”

She heard the gunshots that killed the humorous and caring boy as she was leaving faculty Friday, she stated. It helped to be again at school with mates, she added.

Lopez known as on the varsity to improve safety and for her classmates to show within the gunman who killed her buddy.

“I do know anyone is aware of who it’s. Simply converse up, man. We are able to’t dwell this life,” she stated. Police launched a photograph of an individual related with the taking pictures Saturday.

[ Cops release pictures of person outside Benito Juarez high school taken when 4 students shot, 2 fatally ]

Many college students don’t really feel secure, walkout organizer Vaughn advised reporters, however the demonstration proved some extent.

“I need the world to see that we will have security. We may be secure,” she stated. The coed chief needs to see “extra safety, extra stuff being performed about gang affiliation,” she added.

Anti-violence organizers known as for extra assets to ascertain stop fires and mentor younger folks at totally different occasions on the faculty Monday.

Violence Interrupters founder Tio Hardiman stated he thinks the taking pictures was gang associated primarily based on what he heard and the obvious brazenness of the post-dismissal taking pictures on faculty grounds.

“Lots of people that have trauma don’t get the prospect to heal,” he stated at a morning information convention.

Later within the afternoon, a number of folks returned to the positioning of the taking pictures to carry a vigil open to the Pilsen group.

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“We simply received to get them out of the streets. How? Simply fund their packages,” Pilsen anti-violence organizer William Guerrero stated on the vigil, which was attended by mayoral candidates Ja’Mal Inexperienced and state Rep. Kam Buckner, a Democrat from Chicago.

Ricky Medina, who works to create secure areas for rival gang members in Little Village to satisfy in peace, held a candle as he spoke.

“I shouldn’t be holding a candle each week,” he stated. “The change begins now, or we’re gonna hold burying our children.”

The taking pictures was a symptom of disinvestment within the Pilsen neighborhood, the Rev. Marcus Guerra of Ezekiel’s Coronary heart Ministries stated.

“These children haven’t even had an opportunity to have their past love or make their first heartbreak,” he stated. “The youngsters must know that we look after them.”

The dozen or so folks gathered for the vigil positioned candles and pink roses on the spot the place the 2 boys have been shot. A number of choices sat there earlier within the day, however as evening fell the wall grew to become lined in indicators and the bottom stuffed with flowers and balloons exhibiting in candlelight.

jsheridan@chicagotribune.com