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AUSTIN WEEKLY news ■
Galewood residents say no to car wash at former US Bank site,
Vol. 30 No. 46
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November 23, 2016
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austinweeklynews.com
@AustinWeeklyChi
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Also serving Garfield Park
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Meet Lindsey Slater, page 3
Congressman’s grandson murdered Danny Davis’ grandson, Jovan Wilson, was 15 years old By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
The murder of 15-year-old Jovan Wilson, who was fatally shot during an alleged home invasion Friday night on Chicago’s South Side, has one of the state’s most prominent political personalities in deep mourning. Wilson was the grandson of Congressman Danny K. Davis (7th), who learned of the shooting while in his office, said his senior adviser, Tumia Rumero. She added that Davis and his son are “totally devastated” by the incident. “No one wants to bury their kids, especially their grandkids,” she said during an interview on Sunday in front of the Congressman’s West Side office. In a statement released Saturday morning, Davis said that he was “saddened to report earlier this evening that two individuals forced their way into my grandson’s home.” According to Chicago Police, Wilson was at his home in the city’s Englewood community with his uncle and three teenage siblings, a sister and two brothers ranging from 8 to 14 years old, when two teenagers, walked into the house and started arguing with Wilson. Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said that there “was a history between the young people involved and it was a dispute was over gym shoes.” During the altercation, the 15-year-old shot Wilson in the head with a gun he had been carrying. On Friday, Chicago Police announced that a 16-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl were each facing charges of first-degree murder. They were scheduled to appear in bond court on Sunday. “Unfortunately, this is another example of a fifteen year old with a gun who should have never had See DANNY DAVIS on page 4
WENDELL HUTSON/Contributor
PREPARING TO FEAST: A line of people snakes around McDonald’s, 5015 W. Madison St., on Saturday for a turkey giveaway. The event was one among several held on the West Side in the days leading up to Thanksgiving Day.
Thanksgiving comes early on the West Side The days leading up to the holiday were filled with feasts By WENDELL HUTSON Editor
The 17th Annual Food for the Body & Spirit Thanksgiving Program sponsored by the Black McDonald’s Operators Association of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana ended Saturday in Austin with 2,000 turkeys distributed over four days.
The event was just one of several that planned during the days leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday on Nov. 24. Last Saturday, Corinthian Temple Church of God in Christ, 4520 W. Washington Blvd., held an early Thanksgiving dinner for more than 100 community members. And that same day, the Greater Westside Community Coalition and Cook County Commissioner Robert Steele (2nd) hosted a dinner for hundreds at Collins Academy High School, 1313 S. Sacramento Dr. Residents began arriving at McDon-
ald’s, 5015 W. Madison St., at 6 a.m. for the Food for the Body & Spirit event even though it was not scheduled to start until 8 a.m. Maurice Brown, an Austin resident, was first in line and among 1,000 people who braved the cold temperatures to receive a free turkey and gift bag filled with other food items. “I got here earlier because I wanted to make sure I get a turkey for Thanksgiving. Soon after I arrived more people started showing up but I was the first
Austin Chamber of Commerce on the move... 773.854.5848 • www.austinchicagochamber.com
See THANKSGIVING on page 5