“It’s one thing to say, ‘Hey, this is the curfew,’ ” he said. Vondale Singleton, who founded C.H.A.M.P.S and is the CEO, said young people need to have a say in making these policies and to feel a sense of ownership. Holliday was critical, asking why the city didn’t plan for the big “trends” gathering downtown. Lightfoot said she had no choice but to impose the curfew and escort policy, arguing there was a “general consensus” among her team, clergy and youth groups consulted that this was “the right way to move forward.” “The police, they wasn’t really doing nothing either because I went to a downtown trend before and I didn’t leave it till like 1 a.m.” “Nobody really cared about that curfew at all,” said Brendan Smith, 15. The class had resounding doubts about whether the mayor’s new curfew and escort policies will make a difference. Seandell’s friends don’t support the mayor’s new policies “As soon as I take the garbage out, I be speed walking back to the door because there’s so much stuff that can happen just like that,” Jayln said. Many said they don’t like to leave their homes. Holliday said the boys may feel like their parents are hard on them, but they are only trying to protect them. “I don’t want to see nobody else’s kid …even the boy, he’s a kid himself,” she said. Everyone is too quick to pick up a gun now, she said. And Holliday pleaded with the boys to be careful, saying nothing is just a little fight anymore. Marc Monaghan / WBEZĪll the boys said Seandell wasn’t a regular at these kinds of gatherings. Student Demetrius Walker-Hill shared memories about his friend Seandell Holliday. No one wants to go outside worrying about how they gonna make it home.” “Most of the trends that most people have been at, it’s always a fight or shooting,” Demetrius said. Some said they avoid “trends” because they have only heard of them ending badly. Seandell’s classmates chimed in, saying “trends” had been around for years. Holliday said she had only learned of it on Saturday. Seandell’s classmates said someone usually posts on social media inviting teens to show up at a location at a certain time to have fun. The teens met up at Millennium Park on Saturday as part of what is known as a “trends” gathering. “I had to call every hospital in the area …They said, ‘Unfortunately, Seandell’s heart had stopped.’ ” “It’s like my soul left my body,” she said. Later, she said she was at the nearby Riverwalk when she got word her son had been shot. She said they got into a minor argument because she did not want him going downtown. Seandell’s mom told the class how Saturday unfolded. I gotta do what I gotta do for him because he ain’t able to live his dream and so I’m gonna live it for him.” But “like everybody else said, I can’t let this discourage me …. I want to cry so bad but I couldn’t because like the tears are not there anymore,” Jalyn shared with the group while Holliday listened intently. “It was just like, I lost one of my brothers.”Īnother classmate, Jayln Pressey, 15, remembers his last words to Seandell: “Alright shorty, be smooth.” That Saturday and Sunday night, I didn’t eat that whole day, and I slept that whole day,” said Demetrius, who wore sunglasses and earbuds. ![]() He felt gutted when he found out it was his friend. Demetrius told the group he heard about a kid getting shot on Saturday and felt bad for his family. Seandell’s friends are trying to make sense of what happened. They doubt the mayor’s new policies will help. Several said they are afraid to leave their homes, let alone go downtown. While the city debates these changes the mayor argues will keep kids safe and Millennium Park “available and open to everyone,” his mother and friends are in mourning. Minors also will not be allowed in Millennium Park Thursday through Sunday past 6 pm without a “responsible adult.” A 17-year-old has been charged with Seandell’s murder. Marc Monaghan / WBEZįollowing Seandell’s death, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot introduced new policies for teens, moving curfew back an hour to 10 p.m. Mentor Vondale Singleton shows a picture of Seandell Holliday as his mother sits nearby.
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