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Drive-By Gun Protest, Rockford, Illinois

By Stanley Campbell

I was standing next to the mother of Rockford murder victim number fourteen when more than twenty cars showed up and let out 130 demonstrators on April 15, 2000. The mother was amazed. She shed a tear; the sister said, "Wow! That's a lot of people."

The people, mostly Unitarian Universalist senior high youth, brought readings, flowers and songs to the Orton Keyes housing project in memory of Randall "Chip" Jones. The 16-year-old had been gunned down across the street from his yard and was found by his sister on December 17, 1999. He was the 14th gun murder victim that year.

His mother was visibly moved by the ceremony. The kids had come from across the Midwest to a youth conference and volunteered to join this "drive-by." They read from Gandhi and Martin Luther King and laid flowers at the spot where Randall fell. They hugged the mother and sister and sang "We Shall Overcome."

The family then joined us for the second leg of our drive-by to the worst gun shop in the city, the Shootin' Shack on Harrison and South Alpine. The owner was dinged three years ago for selling guns to straw purchasers who then sold them to criminals and kids. More than 93 guns hit the streets before federal agents caught up with him. He, of course, was slapped on the wrist with a fine and continues to sell to this day.

The procession emptied out into his parking lot, where the kids drew outlines of murder victims and wrote slogans on the ground like We Want More Gun Control. The owner was kind enough to come out and yell at the kids, who shouted back, "No more guns!" He was armed, so we moved the kids back and proceeded to the third and final leg of the drive-by: United States Congressman Donald Manzullo's office on South Mulford.

The office was locked, but we taped petitions to the congressman's door. The petitions will hopefully be forwarded to other congressmen's offices, because the kids came from all across the Midwest.

After an impromptu joining of hands, we returned to the Rockford UU Church. Youth advisor Larry Hughes said, "The kids and adults were extremely moved by the action. It was a worthwhile event, if nothing else to express emotion against guns and in support of more control on weaponry and violence."

The neighborhoods remind me of my days in Vietnam. You never know where the shots will come from. There's too many guns flooding the inner city. But I'm very proud of the kids and the way they acted, especially with the gun victim's family. There was much love expressed at that moment, and the family seemed to appreciate the prayers of concern. I can't say the same about the gun dealer.