The violence in Chicago has gotten out of control, and some people are getting tired of it. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has lost favor on the south side of the city primarily because he has either been unable or unwilling to do what is necessary to fix the epidemic of violence in his town. As a result, community leaders are taking matters into their own hands.

Father Michael Pfleger, pastor at the St. Sabina Church on the south side of Chicago, has organized a rally to take place on June 21st, asking for citizens of the city to “Occupy their Streets” in preparation for stopping what could become a hot and bloody summer. Summer is when the youth have very little to do, which can lead to violence in cities like Chicago, where guns are far too often made available for young people.

Additionally, the black teen unemployment rate tends to hover around 40%, which is nearly twice as high as the rate for white teens. The mix of joblessness, despair, poor educational systems and the ready availability of guns can lead to one nightmare after another.

Father Pfleger went to his Facebook page to make the announcement of the event:

3 KILLED AND 28 SHOT IN CHICAGO SINCE FRIDAY!!!!! UNACCEPTABLE! JOIN PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER FROM ACROSS THE CITY ON FRIDAY JUNE 21st, the last Friday of the Public School year! The Theme of the Rally is ” OCCUPY THE STREETS” We are calling ALL CHICAGOANS TO OCCUPY THEIR STREETS THIS SUMMER AND PROTECT OUR CHILDREN!!! FIRST 500 will receive free T-SHIRTS! SPREAD THE WORD…… JOIN US! EITHER WE OCCUPY THE STREETS OR OUR CHILDRENS BLOOD FLOWS IN THEM!!!! ST. SABINA 78thPlace & Racine 7:00pm June 21st

This movement is just the latest efforts of leaders to stop the violence in Chicago. With fewer resources, they’ve been able to put a dent in the problem that police and the mayor’s office have been unable to manage. Father Pfleger held a basketball tournament for peace recently, which was very successful in reducing gun violence. Additionally, Min. Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam have walked the streets where violence is most rampant.

This summer, if citizens do not occupy their streets, then gangbangers will. Things are getting heated in Chicago.