Four teens were wounded Tuesday night in a drive-by shooting in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood--where Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Sen. Dick Durbin and U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan will announce a $30 million federal grant to revitalize the blighted community Wednesday.
The teens were sitting on a porch in the 6200 block of South Rhodes Avenue about 9:40 p.m. when someone in a silver vehicle pulled up and began shooting at the group, the Chicago Tribune reports.
A 14-year-old boy was shot in his right thigh and taken to University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital in critical condition, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Two other teens, ages 18 and 15, were taken to Stroger Hospital, also in critical condition. A 17-year-old boy suffered a graze wound to his left thigh and was initially listed in fair condition, but later taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition.
All four are expected to survive, the Sun-Times reports.
On Sunday, a 15-year-old was shot in his back just blocks from Tuesday night's shooting.
The West Woodlawn area is struggling despite its proximity to the University of Chicago. The school recently signed an agreement with the city hoping to change that, according to WBEZ:
Last week the city signed an agreement with the University of Chicago that pledges the school to usher in neighborhood revitalization in surrounding neighborhoods.
Mayor Emanuel, Sen. Durbin and HUD Secretary Donovan will discuss further plans to revitalize the area Wednesday. According to the mayor's office, Chicago is one of five cities nationwide to receive grants under HUD's "Choice Neighborhoods" program. The program aims to turn high-poverty, "distressed" neighborhoods into communities with affordable housing, safe streets and access to quality schools.
New Orleans, San Francisco, Boston and Seattle also received HUD grants. In a statement, President Barack Obama said America will only "win the future" by making sure everyone has access to the American Dream.
“This is a great day for Chicago and the countless families who will benefit from the transformation this funding will bring to the South Side,” Secretary Donovan said in a statement. “Choice Neighborhoods recognizes that we must link affordable housing with quality schools, public transportation, good jobs and safe streets. This is the next generation of neighborhood revitalization that not only transforms distressed housing, but heals entire communities.”
The grant will lead to the redevelopment of Grove Parc Plaza, an assisted housing development that has been plagued by violence, unemployment and lack of access to services for residents in recent years. HUD wanted to foreclose the property a few years ago, WBEZ reports, but residents fought to redevelop the area. Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) has been working with other local non-profits to fix up the area ever since, and most of the "Choice Neighborhoods" grant will go toward accomplishing that goal.
No arrests have been made in Tuesday night's shooting.