One Year After Anti-Violence Summit, The Shootings Continue
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Promises made and promises still to be kept.
Violence continues to plague a South Side neighborhood, where exactly one year ago, civic and corporate leaders joined with elected officials, vowing to combat inner-city violence.
But in the area where that meeting took place, there have been nearly as many shootings already this year, as there were in all of 2014.
The most recent was just Thursday.
Police continue to patrol the area around 79th Street and Langley, 24 hours after three men were shot by several others who jumped from a car and opened fire.
"They are shooting a lot," said Bernard Ison. "Like almost every day. "
"They don't have nothing else to do but shoot," said Jovan Johnson. "Chicago should not be that way."
But it still is--exactly one year after politicians and community leaders came together at Congressman Bobby Rush's South Side offices to try to stop the killing.
"Those of us who live and work here have to come out of our four walls and begin to make change," said Pastor John Hannah, of New Life Covenant Church.
It has been two years since First Lady Michelle Obama came to Chicago to kick off a campaign that has since raised an estimated $40 million for anti-violence programs.
Yet according to the Chicago Tribune, less than 10 percent of that money has been put to work.
Congressman Rush was asked why.
"It takes time to do something meaningful. And to do something that really will work for the long haul," he tells CBS 2 Political Producer Ed Marshall.
"It's taking a little time, and we're going to be announcing something fairly soon."
Rush did not want to provide any details.
And others are asking why one year after the summit gangs are still shooting.
Deacon Cicero Moore III said: "I don't know if they gave up on it but things they said they were going to do: Take the guns. They did that. But they haven't taken everything from them."
It is impossible to say whether they really tried and failed or simply didn't try hard enough.
However, despite the investment in time and money pledged, the violence continues