Action Now community member Dawn Narcisse speaking at the press conference about the lack of police protection in the neighborhood
Last Tuesday, October 11th, 2011 a 15 year-old female student walking to Calumet Perspectives Charter School was held at gunpoint, pulled into a black van and raped while the van drove around the block. Community members say that the van had been allowed to illegally park outside of the school on the 8100 block of May for the whole week. After the victim was sexually assaulted, the van dropped her off at 79th and Aberdeen, only two blocks away from the school.
Calumet Perspectives Charter School
Neither the police nor the school had issued an alert to the community, so Action Now members went door to door with flyers warning residents about the rape. On October 18th, one week after the rape occurred, Action Now parents and community members held a candlelight vigil and press conference at the site where the rape occurred. They held the event to call for more police presence in the area to protect children from becoming victims of another horrific crime. As member Dawn Narcisse said, “I was appalled to find out that this happened last week. This flyer should not have been the first thing we saw.” Another member, Tanesha Richardson said, “I expected to come home that night and find signs posted and police patrolling. There’s been nothing.”
Press coverage of the vigil:
CBS Channel 2 News, “Residents Say Van Used For Rape Parked Near School For Days”
CLTV News, “Vigil Held For Teen Who Said She Was Assaulted”
ABC Channel 7 News, “Teen Sexually Assaulted On Way To School”
CBS News: Tanesha Richardson speaking at the vigil
As an ActionNow member myself, my sincere prayers go out the the young lady and her family.
I pray Psalms 91:1 on her life.
“He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty…”