Students Vow To Stay Away From Guns

CBS 2 (CHICAGO) -- Thousands of Chicago students made a pledge Wednesday not to use guns. CBS 2's Joanie Lum reports that it's part of the 12th Annual National Day of Concern to encourage children to reject violence.

The principal at Lafayette School, 2714 W. Augusta Blvd., says school is a safe place for her students, but getting through the neighborhood raises problems for children.

Community outrage over the recent deaths of two Chicago Public School students has added more urgency to today's events recognizing the National Day of Concern.

A funeral for 10-year-old Arthur Jones was held Wednesday morning at the Fellowship Baptist Church, 4543 S. Princeton Ave. Meanwhile, assemblies will be held at public and parochial schools, with children learning what they can do to prevent and avoid violence.

Jones, known to friends and family as "A.J.," was killed by alleged gang members firing at each other near 55th and Halsted one week ago.

Three teens have been charged in Arthur's death. Police say 17-year-old Lesean Jackson is one of two people who fired a gun at rival gang members last week, killing Jones instead. Jones, an innocent fifth-grader on his way to buy candy, was in the median area when he was hit. Police say the community's response prompted Jackson to turn himself in.

An alleged 14-year-old accomplice was charged as a juvenile Saturday, while Steven McCaskill, 17, was charged as an adult for allegedly providing one of the guns used in the shooting. Police are still searching for a second gunman.

"The community was outraged at this senseless act of violence," said Wentworth Area police Cmdr. Patricia Walsh. "Many people in the community took a stand; they gave us information, they gave us leads."

Police are also looking for two teenage suspects in the fatal shooting of Samuel Benavente, 14, an eighth grader at Eberhart School on the city's Southwest Side. Samuel was shot Sunday evening at 63rd Street and Central Park Avenue as he tried to stop another teen who was stealing his friend's bicycle. He died a day later.

Officers of Wood District in the West Town neighborhood held an outdoor roll call outside Lafayette Elementary Wednesday morning. Afterward, they read to students and talked to kids about gun safety.

They say they want children to tell an adult if they see a gun and that even five-year-olds can learn this lesson.

Chicago Police Cmdr. Christine Kolman said, "We have children sometimes picking up guns at home that don't know what they are and accidentally shoot themselves or another person in the household. So they're never too young to learn."

Mayor Daley says there needs to be more outrage on the part of city aldermen to prevent violence.

"How about them looking at more and more children being killed?" the mayor said Tuesday. "It's easy to criticize police; there's only 13,000. But again, where are (the aldermen) when it comes to violence in their own communities?"

Daley is also angry at 28 aldermen who want to see a blacked-out list of police officers accused of misconduct more than 10 times. The city has so far refused to release that list.

Arthur and Samuel are just two of the 69 people under the age of 20 who have been killed by gunfire this year. At Arthur's memorial in the Englewood neighborhood is a sign reading, "Stop Killing the Children."

Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan sat down with top brass in law enforcement and radio hosts at our sister station, B96, for an hour long discussion about dealing with violence in our neighborhoods.

They encouraged kids to take the pledge not to use guns.

Dozens of public and parochial schools were holding assemblies and rallies like this across the city on Wednesday. Police say that their presence in Chicago neighborhoods sends a message too.

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