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Rashanah Baldwin
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May 29th 2014
Englewood Resident Association President Responds to Shooting on Her Block While Being Interviewed by NPR
CHICAGO (May 29, 2014) – In the wake of a shooting on her block, Asiaha Butler, co-founder and President of the Resident Association of Greater Englewood, affirms her resolve to continue working for change in her community and invites Chicagoans of all stripes to join the efforts of the resident group she leads.
“Although this unfortunate incident took place on my block, I remain committed to Englewood, the neighborhood I’ve called home for my entire life,” says Butler.
The shooting occurred during Butler’s interview with NPR National Correspondent David Schaper. Butler and Schaper were talking on her porch when 15 shots rang out mere feet from her home. The incident bore witness before a national audience what far too many children and families experience in parts of Chicago each and every day.
Butler extends an open invitation for Chicago residents, businesses, non-profit organizations, universities and government to join R.A.G.E.’s efforts in Englewood.
“The issues we address every day are not Englewood problems, South Side problems, nor West Side problems”, says Butler. “They are Chicago problems, and it’s going to take all of Chicago to tackle these challenges head on.”
“R.A.G.E. believes ‘The City that Works’ can work together to make this city – the entire city – a Chicago we can all be proud to call home,” says Butler.
Formed in 2010, R.A.G.E. engages and mobilizes residents house by house, block by block, and online to bring change to the Englewood community. Most recently, R.A.G.E. worked closely with the Chicago Department of Planning and Development to create the $1 Large Lots program, a policy designed for residents to purchase and maintain City-owned lots on their block. In the wake of school closings, R.A.G.E. convened a broad base of stakeholders to repurpose recently closed school buildings in Englewood. This summer, R.AG.E. is bringing So Fresh Saturdays as a part of the citywide Night Out in the Park events, a series of music-filled, family-oriented festivals, to five different parks in Englewood. The kick off for this event is June 7th, 3-8pm, at Hermitage Park located at 59th and Wood.
R.A.G.E. also calls for a higher standard of journalism and service from news media, encouraging local and national news outlets to not only report on incidents of crime, but to investigate the unjust laws and discriminatory policies that create the conditions in which crime thrives. For more information about R.A.G.E. efforts visit http://www.ragenglewood.org.
Resident Association of Greater Englewood
http://www.ragenglewood.org | 866.845.1032 | joinrage@gmail.com | @join_rage
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R.A.G.E. 