Last Monday I wrote about a violent weekend in Chicago during which over 100 people were shot and 14 were killed including 5 children. This weekend was nearly a repeat of that violence. This weekend 65 people were shot but 17 of them died, including three children.

Last weekend the youngest victim was a 3-year-old boy riding in a car with his step-father. This weekend the youngest victim was a 20-month old riding in a car with his mother:

Chicago Police Chief of Operations Fred Waller said shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday, the mother of the 20-month-old boy was driving south on Halsted Street near 60th Street, on the way home from the laundromat, with the toddler in a child seat in the back of the car. Another car pulled up alongside them, and someone inside started shooting.

The boy was shot once in the chest, and a bullet grazed the mother’s head, according to Chicago Police Chief of Operations Fred Waller. The boy was identified as Sincere Gaston.

Last weekend a 13-year-old girl named Amaria Jones was shot and killed while watching television after a bullet fired outside entered her home and hit her in the head. This weekend, a stray bullet entered the window of another home and struck 10-year-old Lena Nunez in the head.

Just before 10 p.m. Saturday night, a stray bullet came through the window of an apartment on the 3500 block of Dickens Avenue in Logan Square and struck Lena Nunez in the head. Police believe two groups were firing at each other outside the apartment, when Lena was hit by a stray bullet.

Lena had just finished 4th grade:

Lena’s mother tells me her daughter was excited about starting 5th grade at Funston Elem in the fall. She also says she loved Tik-Tok & @Starbucks. Her drinks of choice were Carmel Frappuccino’s & Mango Dragonfruit. The family lives in Hermosa & Lena was the 2nd of 5 children. pic.twitter.com/SuVz07oHyR

— Courtney Gousman (@cgousman) June 29, 2020

*Sincere Gaston, 20 months
*Lena Nunez Anaya, 10 years

Two of the 3 children killed this weekend in Chicago gun violence.
A group of business owners called "I'm Telling, Don't Shoot" offering $25K in Sincere's case.
Tip line: (312)747-8380.

$2K reward in Lena's case. pic.twitter.com/hvLt78Ey27

— Courtney Gousman (@cgousman) June 29, 2020

Another 8-year-old girl was shot in the head this weekend but the bullet grazed her and she survived. More than a dozen other victims did not. CBS 2 has a list of the other 15 victims this weekend, some of whom were executed in the street.

The violence this weekend (and last weekend) comes after the most deadly single day in Chicago’s history (going back to 1961) at the end of May. People are understandably angry, especially about the young, innocent victims who are caught in the crossfire. A business group is offering $25,000 rewards for information on the killers of 3-year-old Mekhi James and 1-year-old Sincere Gaston:

The group, led by philanthropist Early Walker, started the organization “I’m telling, Don’t Shoot” two weeks ago…

“We have lost ten kids in the last few weeks under the age of 10, something needs to be done and we are putting our money where our mouth is,” Walker said…

In wake of the George Floyd protests, the group said they are against defunding the police.

“We’re not for that, the alderman was elected on the fact that we need more police presence,” an activist said. “It’s our fault that this is happening, not the police’s fault. This is on us, not the police.”

I suspect there are a lot of people whose voices aren’t being represented by Black Lives Matter and their demands to defund police. Unfortunately, you won’t hear as much about them on CNN or MSNBC. Here’s a local new report on the violence and the reward money being offered:

Finally, here’s a map showing the casualties this weekend: