For Crime Witnesses, Family Safety Can Outweigh A Community’s Security

Chico Tillmon, Executive Director of the YMCA of Metro Chicago’s Youth Safety and Violence Prevention initiative, spoke with CBS 2 Chicago’s Jim Williams and gave insight on how fear can prevent witnesses from speaking up about crime in their community. Chico spoke from personal experience of 25 years ago when he lived in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago and declined a deal that would shorten his prison sentence. Like many others, he was feared his testimony against others would put his family in danger.

Today, Chico is welcome and respected in Austin, something that helps him continue his violence prevention work with the Y.

Watch the segment on CBS 2 Chicago’s website.

To learn more about the Youth Safety and Violence Prevention program visit www.ymcachicago.org/ysvp