Homewood neighborhood near James Hart Middle School bands together after shootings
'It's pretty idyllic,' Eric Crump said Friday, pointing out an ash tree across the street from his home on the 1300 Block of Olive Road that was turned into a Little Free Library after the tree died a decade ago.
'I see people stop there, grandmas with little kids, looking through the books pretty regularly,' Crump said.
But the peaceful, wholesome self-image of the neighborhood contrasts with two shootings within a several block radius since April. A bullet hole remains visible on the front siding of Crump's house from the night of July 21.
Crump and neighbor Tracie Moxley, whose home farther west was hit with gunfire April 20, several days after Easter, were among those to form a neighborhood watch group after the July 21 shooting.
The goal of the group, named Izaak Walton South Neighbors, is not for neighbors to take matters into their own hands, but to partner with police and promote observation and communication among residents, Crump said.
'It's really a great catalyst for helping our neighbors come together and be more of a neighborhood than we ever have been,' Crump said.
'When an incident does happen, everybody rallies around. They don't just retreat into their house and draw the blinds,' he said.
Moxley said she believes the legacy of the shootings, which are usually unheard of in their area, will be greater community connections. The first meeting of the Izaak Walton South Neighbors on Monday drew about 50 people, with the next scheduled for Aug. 11.
As community members band together, Homewood police say they are investigating the shootings and their causes, providing little information in the meantime. At the most recent Village Board meeting July 23, trustees deferred action to police Chief Denise McGrath, with Trustee Patrick Siemsen saying, 'rest assured, she will get to the bottom of this.'
Several Homewood residents pleaded for action during the meeting, including Maggie Gosselin, who lives several blocks south of Olive Road. Gosselin said her two 13-year-old sons, who attend James Hart Middle School, were about to bike to Izaak Walton to go fishing when they heard gun shots at about 5:45 p.m July 21.
'My kids look at me and they're like, 'Mom, I don't think those were fireworks,'' Gosselin said Thursday. 'And I'm like, 'You're right. I don't think those were fireworks either.''
Gosselin said she instructed her sons to bike to their friend's house, in the opposite direction of the gunshots, and said the boys now take an alternative route to get to the nature preserve.
'One of them in particular was afraid, he didn't want to go back,' Gosselin said. 'And this is where they spend their entire summer.'
Gosselin said she hasn't taken part in the neighborhood watch group since she lives several blocks away from where the shootings have taken place, but she hopes the village considers installing cameras or helping the neighborhood boost security.
Deputy police Chief Kelly Strayer, in an emailed statement to the Daily Southtown, said the three shootings 'appear to be random, and investigators are actively working to determine the circumstances surrounding each case.'
Strayer said police increased patrols in the area and officers are 'working diligently to gather any information that may lead to identifying those responsible.'
'We strongly encourage anyone with information related to the shootings to come forward, as public assistance is a vital part of our investigations,' she said.
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