March 1 not only marked the end of Black History Month, but for Oak Park and Austin residents, Wednesday represented the 6-month anniversary of Oak Park and River Forest High School student Elijah Sims’ death.
Elijah’s unsolved murder occurred on Aug. 29, 2016 in the South Austin neighborhood while he was visiting family and friends.
Elijah’s family, friends, and communities (Oak Park & Austin) continue to mourn his tragic loss. As Oak Park and Austin work toward developing strategies to curb the crime and gun violence that impacts both communities, a memorial fund has been established as a reward for anyone offering information leading to the arrest and conviction of Elijah’s killer or killers.
While the Chicago Police Department continues to work diligently to solve Elijah’s murder, their efforts cannot truly be effective without community support. Elijah’s mother, Sharita Galloway, joined by the Suburban Unity Alliance, hopes that funds raised will serve as an added incentive as we continue to appeal to anyone with information regarding Elijah’s murder to speak up. If the killer or killers cannot find it in their soul to turn themselves in, then our communities must work together to eliminate the systemic issues that not only create killers, but also allows killers to roam free.
His death will not be in vain. Through the loss of Elijah, we can gain the courage to take a stand against violence and take a stand for our communities, sending a message that fear will not build walls between Oak Park and Austin. Instead, our courage builds bridges.
Anyone with information regarding Elijah Sims’ death should contact Area North Chicago Police Department.
Anyone interested in donating to the Elijah Sims Memorial Fund can visit: https://www.gofundme.com/elijah-sims-memorial-reward-fund
Anthony Clark
Oak Park