Rhymefest wants to end Chicago gun violence, and he’s starting starting his mission in one of the most unexpected areas.
On Friday, the Oscar-winning rapper made an appearance on Windy City LIVE, where he discussed an upcoming vigil that will remember those who lost their lives to gun violence. Rhymefest will lead the event at a church located on Chicago’s north side.
“What’s great about this church on the north side—I mean, these are more affluent parishioners—and what’s great about it is, we have too many walls in Chicago and not enough bridges. It’s time that we start being solution based in areas other than just the south and west sides of Chicago, because all of Chicago is suffering from trauma […] We’re not working as one Chicago.”
He goes on to say that the event was conceived by the Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church, which is located in an area that isn’t typically associated with gun violence. He said after he was contacted by this church, he immediately recognized how this issue is affecting the entire city.
“Those people are also traumatized by what they’re seeing, and the fear of violence touching them,” he said. “We have to build bridges and build walls.”
Rhymefest also discussed his recent experience with gun violence. In late August, the 39-year-old was robbed at gunpoint when sitting in his car in Chicago. To make matters worse, when Rhymefest attempted to file a police report, he says he was treated “disgustingly” by the police officers.
He said his experience has become “normalized” in the city, and that people expect and accept for it to happen; however, he wants to change all that with his new Truth and Reconciliation series, which aims to “de-stigmatize coping techniques of just being a Chicagoan. Regardless of violence, just being a Chicagoan where many of us are over taxed and underemployed.”
You can watch the full Windy City LIVE interview above. The vigil against gun violence will take place Sunday at the Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church, 600 W. Fullerton Parkway, at 5 p.m. CDT. It’s open to the public.
