‘Whenever a tragedy like this happens, we come together as one’: Car caravan kicks off in Lawndale, ends downtown to draw attention to police shooting death of 13-year-old Adam Toledo

A caravan of cars filed along Douglas Boulevard on Friday night in Lawndale heading out on a procession intended to draw attention across the city to the death of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, who was shot and killed by a police officer during what police called an armed confrontation.

The event was also intended to show unity between the African American and Hispanic communities, said Kristian Armendariz, one of the organizers.

“Whenever a tragedy like this happens, we come together as one,” Armendariz said.

To that end, they gathered at St. Agatha Catholic Church in the Lawndale neighborhood about 7 p.m.

Then, their cars and SUVs covered in signs and flags, and with blinkers flashing, the group drove east to the Gold Coast neighborhood shortly after 8 p.m., near Connors Park, 861 N. Wabash Ave.

Community activist Ifeanyi Odum said they gathered in Lawndale to show brotherhood and unity between the Black and Hispanic communities, and that “our struggles are the same.”

Before leaving on the car parade, more than a dozen people gathered at Douglas Boulevard and Kedzie Avenue.

They waved signs reading, “Justice para Adam Toledo” and “Fight racism,” and chanted “Say his name, Adam Toledo” and “No justice, no peace, no racist police,” as cars driving through the busy intersection honked.

Jessica Bracamontes said she hoped the event would help bring what she called justice for Toledo. The 18-year-old imagined what it would be like for her mother to go through something similar, and felt horrible, she said.

“It’s not right,” Bracamontes said. “He’s a 13-year-old boy.”

Guadalupe Gonzalez stood next to her 10-year-old daughter, Danya Martinez, along Kedzie Avenue before the car parade, holding a sign that read, “Chicago Black and brown united. We matter.”

She wanted her daughter to learn about the shooting, she said.

“He was young,” she said. “It’s not fair.”

Carolyn J. Rufff said she came down from the North Side to show support for Toledo’s family. Rather than shooting, she said perhaps police could have talked him down and maybe provided mentorship.

“You don’t have to shoot our Black and brown children,” she said.

The caravan appeared to be coming to an end around 9 p.m. as participants, some of whom had exited their cars, gathered at the intersection of Wabash and Chestnut avenues, where a few were yelling expletives directed at the mayor and Chicago police. Others voiced support for Toledo’s family, chanting: “He was only 13.”

Chicago police spokeswoman Michelle Tannehill said no arrests had been reported as of 9:15 p.m.

Many at the event spoke angrily of the three days between the 13-year-old’s death on March 29, and when officials divulged his age and identity publicly.

One of the event’s goals was “to bring attention to neighborhoods throughout Chicago about the assassination and cover-up of Adam Toledo,” Armendariz said, referring to those days.

Chicago police Superintendent David Brown has previously outlined the days leading up to his identification.

On March 26, the teen’s mother walked into the Ogden District station and reported him missing. The next day, a detective followed up with his mother, who indicated he returned home, and her son’s name was removed from Police Department records as being missing, Brown said.

After Toledo was killed, a 21-year-old man who was arrested at the scene provided police with a different name for the teen who was eventually identified as Toledo.

Brown said police fingerprinted Toledo three times and found no records for him. Investigators combed through missing persons reports, as well as reports of missing people who were eventually found safe, Brown said.

On March 31, two days after the 13-year-old’s death, police contacted his mother at about 1 p.m. and told her of an unidentified person at the Cook County medical examiner’s office who matched a description of her son, Brown said. His mother at that point said she had not seen her son for several days, and she identified him at 3:30 p.m. that day at the medical examiner’s office.

The medical examiner’s office and the Police Department first acknowledged publicly that Toledo was 13 on April 1.

Community members have held vigils honoring Toledo and called for the release of police video of the shooting.

Friday, Toledo’s family said through their attorneys they were scheduled to view the video next week and had been assured the video would not be made public until the family had seen it.

It’s unclear when the footage will be released publicly, but according to city policy, video of police shootings, as well as the accompanying paperwork, must be made public within 60 days of the incident, unless officials request a 30-day extension after that.

sfreishtat@chicagotribune.com

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