Mayor Emanuel today joined residents, community, faith and business leaders to kick-off the third annual Summer of Faith and Action, a citywide violence prevention initiative designed to promote safety throughout Chicago communities in the summer months. Today, the group called on people throughout the city to join in a series of anti-violence activities or create one of their own on Friday, May 27, 2016 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

“This is an opportunity for all of us in Chicago to stand together as one city with one goal,” said Mayor Emanuel. “Taking action takes faith and having faith means taking action. So on May 27th let us take action by working together and standing together in your communities to send a positive message of peace.”

On the Friday of Memorial Day weekend from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. residents and community leaders are encouraged to gather together on streets corners in their communities creating a safe and secure environment throughout our city in an effort to show presence and solidarity across Chicago to create a safer and more peaceful city.

Thanks to an in-kind radio campaign, iHeart Media, WVON, Univision Radio, and La Ley are supporting the City of Chicago’s Faith and Action “Put The Guns Down” initiative through on-air messaging, on air interviews, online promotion, social exposure and on-site presence at events.

Last May, nearly 1,000 residents gathered at over 100 locations across the City to kick off the summer of Faith and Action. This year, participants have planned barbeques, street corner prayer, door to door canvassing, recruiting block clubs, rallies, block club parties, CAPS activities, raffles, wellness checks for seniors, block clean ups, neighborhood walks, and events for youth.

To register your event, contact MayorRSVP@cityofchicago.org or call 312.744.1718. When registering an event please include the following; date(s), start time and end time of the event, host name or organization, description of the event (barbeque, rally, prayer, games etc.) location of the event with zip code, contact name and phone number. Find news and updates about Faith and Action and join the anti-violence conversation, by using hashtag #PutTheGunsDown.

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