NORTH LAWNDALE — Violence prevention and trauma response organizers from around the city are stepping up after a mass shooting at a North Lawndale Halloween party.
A trauma resource center has been established at Young Men’s Educational Network, 1241 S. Pulaski Road, to provide counseling and resources to those affected by the Sunday shooting that wounded 15 people.
The center, located across the street from where the shooting took place, was initially announced as a one-day resource but will now be open through Friday, according to organizers.
Services being offered to neighbors including mental health counseling, therapy dogs and networking with professionals specializing in post-traumatic stress disorder. Chicago Police detectives are also on scene for anyone with information on the shooting they want to share with authorities.
Organizations offering their services include Chicago CRED, Metropolitan Peace Initiatives and the youth-focused UCAN.
The resource center was announced in response to the shooting that occurred around 1 a.m. Sunday at Studio 1258, 1258 S. Pulaski Road. That’s when 48-year-old William Groves opened fire on a group of people at an unlicensed Halloween party after he was thrown out of the event for his behavior, prosecutors said at his initial court appearance Tuesday.
The 15 people injured range in age from 26 to 53.
Sunday’s shooting comes one year after a mass shooting on Halloween in East Garfield Park that wounded 14 people — three of them children.
James Mitchell, field manager of the Metropolitan Peace Initiatives, praised the Young Men’s Education Network and the city for setting up the center with multiple resources under one roof.
“It’s a plus that we’re so connected,” Mitchell said. “We’re going to do the work, and we are going to help the community the best way we know how.”
Alliance of Local Service Organizations, a street and domestic violence prevention group based in Logan Square, is offering its services in hopes of helping to stem further violence, said Mike Thomas, who works for the group.
“We’re extremely happy to have come out here and gotten together to show our support,” Thomas said.
Bullet holes remain on the side of the Studio 1258 building, which has been known by locals and police to host unlicensed events.
Social media posts show Studio 1258 being advertised and used as a concert space. According to a spokesperson from the city’s business affairs department, the business was issued a cease-and-desist order on May 6 for “operating without a public place of amusement license and operating without liquor license.”
A summary closure of the business was issued Monday morning, a police spokesperson said.
At a press conference after the shooting, Ald. Monique Scott (24th) expressed sadness over what she feels has become a normal occurrence in the city.
“As a mother, I can’t imagine the horror of a phone call that my daughter is shot. This is beyond comprehensible,” she said. “This has become a routine. This shouldn’t be normal to any one of us.”
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