Cease Fire: Weekend of Rage Could Have Been Avoided

CHICAGO (WBBM) -- This past bloody weekend in Chicago was not a fluke according to an organization designed to prevent shootings from occurring in the first place.

There were 37 people shot, seven of them killed from noon Friday until midnight Sunday night.

The organization Cease Fire, says there probably would have been far fewer shootings this weekend had the group had more of its outreach and violence interrupters on-the-street, something it would have had had the state not drastically sliced the group's funding last fall.

Cease Fire executive director Dr. Gary Slukin says there are about 40 outreach and violence interrupter workers on the street now, down about "60 to 80" people.

Rev. Robin Hood, the faith-based coordinator for Cease Fire, says this is the first spring in years when Cease Fire doesn't have a full program in place. He calls that "scary" for the city of Chicago.

Cease Fire executive director Gary Slutkin says if Cease Fire were on-the-street in greater numbers….there’s no doubt in his mind…the streets would be quieter.

The group Cease Fire hires people who’ve been on the streets in gangs…people who many of those who are in gangs will listen to. Those outreach and "violence interrupter" workers try to convince those bent on shooting someone that violence is not the way to go.

Dr. Slutkin says the workers are intensely trained in conflict resolution, the law and more.

Dr. Slutkin says there's no doubt, "the outreach workers and the interrupters….could cool things down a lot right now".

Cease Fire’s Rev. Robin Hood says Chicago police do a magnificent job…but that they can’t do everything…and that there just aren’t enough Cease Fire workers out there quieting things down.

He says the number of Cease Fire workers on the street are "not even enough to make a dent."

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