|
| | HJ0097 | | LRB102 29233 LAW 41187 r |
|
|
| 1 | | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
|
| 2 | | WHEREAS, On Monday, July 4, 2022, the City of Highland |
| 3 | | Park and thousands of its residents and neighbors gathered for |
| 4 | | its annual Fourth of July parade; and
|
| 5 | | WHEREAS, For generations, Highland Park has hosted this |
| 6 | | parade, one of the largest Fourth of July gatherings in the |
| 7 | | northern suburbs of Chicago; and
|
| 8 | | WHEREAS, At 10:14 a.m., tragedy struck as an alleged lone |
| 9 | | gunman opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle at the |
| 10 | | intersection of 2nd Street and Central Avenue in downtown |
| 11 | | Highland Park; and
|
| 12 | | WHEREAS, In less than one minute, the assailant shot 83 |
| 13 | | bullets into the crowd, killing 7 and injuring dozens; and
|
| 14 | | WHEREAS, As residents ran from the gunfire, placed their |
| 15 | | bodies over their loved ones, and sought safety, first |
| 16 | | responders who had come to watch the parade put themselves in |
| 17 | | harm's way; and
|
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members |
| 19 | | and community volunteers rushed to the scene and bravely |
| 20 | | worked side by side with fire and police personnel and medical |
|
| | HJ0097 | - 2 - | LRB102 29233 LAW 41187 r |
|
|
| 1 | | professionals, helping to save lives through their quick |
| 2 | | action; and
|
| 3 | | WHEREAS, Law enforcement officers from Highland Park and |
| 4 | | hundreds of others throughout the State of Illinois and at all |
| 5 | | levels of government worked together to quickly secure |
| 6 | | downtown Highland Park and later apprehend the suspect; and
|
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Mayor Nancy Rotering admirably and strongly led |
| 8 | | the grieving Highland Park community in the minutes |
| 9 | | immediately after the shooting and in the weeks and months |
| 10 | | following the shooting, as the international community looked |
| 11 | | to her leadership; and
|
| 12 | | WHEREAS, City Manager Ghida Neukirch selflessly ran to the |
| 13 | | scene of the shooting to provide first aid to gunshot victims, |
| 14 | | going far above and beyond her duties and providing |
| 15 | | extraordinary care to the Highland Park community in the |
| 16 | | moments following the shooting; and
|
| 17 | | WHEREAS, Physicians, nurses, and other staff raced to |
| 18 | | Highland Park Hospital to assist the injured, some coming |
| 19 | | straight from the parade, doing incredible work under intense |
| 20 | | and difficult circumstances; and
|
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Hundreds of therapists, counselors, and social |
|
| | HJ0097 | - 3 - | LRB102 29233 LAW 41187 r |
|
|
| 1 | | workers have supported those experiencing trauma from what |
| 2 | | they witnessed during and after the shooting; therefore, be it
|
| 3 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE |
| 4 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE |
| 5 | | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we mourn the lives lost at the |
| 6 | | hands of gunfire in the City of Highland Park on July 4, 2022 |
| 7 | | and all those around the State of Illinois who have been lost |
| 8 | | to gun violence and recognize the surviving families that live |
| 9 | | with the trauma of their losses; and be it further
|
| 10 | | RESOLVED, That we especially remember the lives of |
| 11 | | Katherine Goldstein, Irina McCarthy, Kevin McCarthy, Stephen |
| 12 | | Straus, Jacqueline Sundheim, Nicholas Toledo-Zaragoza, and |
| 13 | | Eduardo Uvaldo; and be it further
|
| 14 | | RESOLVED, That we honor the City of Highland Park and its |
| 15 | | law enforcement, first responders, and community leaders for |
| 16 | | their service to the people of Illinois; and be it further
|
| 17 | | RESOLVED, That we urge leaders to continue to do |
| 18 | | everything in their power to ensure no other community |
| 19 | | experiences the trauma of gun violence, so that this horrific |
| 20 | | tragedy shall not be in vain; and be it further
|
| 21 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |