Chicagoans impacted by crime head to Springfield to call on action from lawmakers

A group of Chicagoans boarded buses bound for Springfield on Wednesday morning.

They are all crime survivors or families who lost someone to violence in the Windy City. They are calling on legislators to pass policies that support a growing community of people impacted by crime.

In 2017, 28-year-old Maurice Purnell was walking in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side when he was fatally shot in a drive-by. 

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His mother, Bertha, held his framed photograph as she boarded the bus. 

"In our communities, if you’re shot by a bullet you can go to the hospital for treatment. But if your loved one is hurt or killed, we [family members] don’t get to receive support. We don’t have spaces like that. We need more trauma recovery centers in Illinois," Bertha Purnell said.

She and others intend to show Illinois lawmakers how crime affects their communities.

In the state’s capitol, the group will hold a vigil and then a rally, expecting a crowd of about 200 people.