August drew near a close with a disturbing rash of violence in the south suburban village of Dolton. A mother driving home from work was killed by crossfire with her four youngest children in the car. A police officer dislocated a shoulder and an alleged robber was shot in an exchange of gunfire near a car dealership. Village officials gathered Tuesday and voted to beef up their police force — and the very same evening, a 16-year-old Chicago girl was fatally shot outside a Dolton convenience store by a man apparently gunning for someone else.
It was an extraordinary toll for a community of 23,000 and a reminder that the reckless shootings that terrorize some neighborhoods on Chicago’s South and West sides don’t stop at the big city’s borders.
Dolton, which touches Chicago’s South Side, has counted six homicides so far this year, after a tally of 10 in 2018 and 12 in 2017. Akeira Boston, the Chicago teen shot Tuesday, was a rising junior at Simeon Career Academy on the South Side. She was sitting in a car at 9 p.m. when a gunman opened fire, shooting her twice in the abdomen; police say she was not the target. The same night, village officials voted unanimously to add 15 police officers to its depleted force. Retirements, injuries and terminations have cut the size of the department by 40% since 2017, police Chief Ernest Mobley said.
Dolton faces a constellation of problems that fuel violence and dampen hope. The mayor and village trustees have been caught up in infighting. The Better Government Association and Chicago Public Radio station WBEZ-FM 91.5 took a deep look at Dolton in 2018 to illustrate the increase in suburban poverty, noting the city’s varied problems including poor governance, crime and unemployment as blue-collar jobs disappeared. Home values have plummeted, while property tax rates are disproportionately high. Inner-city Chicago residents looking for better lives move to nearby suburbs like Dolton, only to find it even more difficult to access jobs and transportation than it had been in the city.
Marshia McGill Bowman, a day care employee, was driving her minivan on Sibley Boulevard in Dolton Aug. 21 when she was struck in the head by a stray bullet. Four of her children, daughters ages 1, 4, 8 and 9, were with her. “Family words could never express how hurt we are that our beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt and friend is gone,” her husband, Leneaus Bowman, said in a statement.
As dominant and compelling as Chicago’s issues are in the region, there are smaller, troubled towns that are truly sinking, decimated by the loss of industry and manufacturing jobs. Who will stand up for Dolton? The Cook County sheriff’s office and Illinois State Police have helped the village with patrols when they can. Dolton Mayor Riley Rogers aims to pay for the new police officers with $2 million in emergency funding from the U.S. Department of Justice. Like Chicago, the village will need more holistic answers than just more police to stem the tide of violence. In the meantime, we hope Dolton gets the support it needs to boost public safety, even if its name doesn’t always command the headlines. Mothers shot in minivans? Teen lives stolen in the waning week of summer break? These tragedies shouldn’t be the story of Dolton, Chicago or anywhere.
Editorials reflect the opinion of the Editorial Board, as determined by the members of the board, the editorial page editor and the publisher.
Get our latest editorials, commentaries and columns delivered twice a week in our Fighting Words newsletter. Sign up here.
Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
