Children, City Officials, Community Members Sleep Over in Chatham's Cole Park to Show Park is Safe

Chicago - It may be a first in Chicago, a campout against violence. Friday night in Nat King Cole Park in the Chatham neighborhood about fifty kids, parents, police and others are sleeping out under the stars. They are trying to send a message that the park is safe, and the community is going to stand up against violence.

’We want to show that we are still vested in this community and we intend to fight on all the problems that we have in this community and the bad guys are not gonna win,’ said 6th Ward Alderman Fredrenna Lyle who represents this neighborhood.

It’s also a way to honor Chicago Police officer Thomas Wortham IV who was killed right by the park back in May. Wortham had been working to reclaim the park and make it a place where kids could feel safe.

His mother says he would be proud. ’This is the first step in rebuilding what he was trying to do, to create an atmosphere again in Cole Park that we had lost, an atmosphere in which families can come and enjoy the park, children can come and play,’ said Carolyn Wortham.

About 50 kids from various parts of the city and even from out of state have pitched tents, well okay, some adults did if for them, but they will curl up in sleeping bags, some for the first time.

’I wanted to do this to make a difference,’ said camper Mariah Gill, ’like just coming here to support it and saying that I’m not afraid to come out, even though there is a lot of violence here.’

She said rain and bugs are her biggest concern.

Vincent Lindsey grew up in Chatham and loves the community. After cooking hotdogs for the campers he planned to get his own tent ready.

’It’s important to shine light on the park to let everybody know that the most recent events that you saw and heard in the news although those events were horrific they’re an anomaly they’re not something that happens every day. Chatham has historically been a solid middle class black neighborhood,’ he said.

Among the campers were two of officer Wrotham’s good friends and fellow National Guardsmen who came down from Wisconsin to help out and pay tribute to who he was and what he was trying to do for this neighborhood.

Wortham’s father said he would like to see other communities try similar activities.

’What we need throughout this city and in all these communities where this violence taking place, is for everyone in the community, right now, is to come out and be united,’ said Thomas Wortham III.

While the campout may have been a first in the antiviolence efforts in the city, for many of the campers there was another first, smores.