Peoria police Chief Eric Echevarria is re-emphasizing a call to action he made earlier this week for parents and adults to get involved in the lives of the area’s children in order to keep them safe from violence.
Echevarria issued a statement on Wednesday, hours after a shooting in Minneapolis, where two kids and a gunman were killed at a parochial school during Mass, with 17 others injured. Echevarria said that the shooting should serve as a wake-up call for parents and other concerned adults to be role models and make sure they provide support for children when they need it.
“Today, I am calling on every man and woman in Peoria: this is your moment,” Echevarria said in a statement. “Volunteer at your child’s school. Mentor a young person. Report warning signs before they escalate. Let’s make Peoria a city where children walk freely, learn safely, and dream boldly.”
Echevarria made similar comments earlier this week, when he called on the city’s men to “stand up, show up and be there,” for students outside Manual High School on Monday morning. Dozens of people, from Peoria police officers to civic leaders, showed up at Manual to heed the chief’s call, welcoming students into the school and showing their support.
Two shootings happened last week outside Manual: a shooting on Aug. 20 two blocks away from the building saw a 15-year-old girl hospitalized after being grazed by a bullet; and an Aug. 22 shooting where a 15-year-old fired a gun in the direction of the school. The suspect, a student who had been suspended, was eventually arrested and charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm.
Echevarria said Wednesday that adults need to “stand up” and be role models for the city’s children; “show up” in their schools, in their neighborhoods and in their safe passages; and “be there” to ensure every child is supported in the proper manner.
He called on families and schools to join together with their neighbors and faith leaders to ensure the safety of students across the city and beyond, saying that police and law enforcement could not do it alone.
“Our responsibility is here at home,” Echevarria said. “Together, as one city, one voice, one community, let us Stand Up. Show Up. Be There.”
He also warned that anyone who would try to bring violence to Peoria will be held to account for their future actions.
“Let me be clear to those who would try to bring violence to our city: we are united, we are watching, and we will not allow you to harm our children or our neighborhoods,” Echevarria said. “You will be stopped, and you will be held accountable.”
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: After Minneapolis shooting, Peoria police chief again calls on community to step up
Reporting by Zach Roth, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
