Looking for answers and hope in Willowbrook Corner: Community leaders join forces to offer help
The Rev. Betty Starks left Anne M. Jeans Elementary School cautiously optimistic that change would come to Willowbrook Corner.
Starks was among 25 invited guests who met at the school near Willowbrook in the wake of a fatal Juneteenth shooting to talk about community needs in an area that has seen its fair share of crime and that is among the lowest-income areas in DuPage County.
"The only thing I can do is hope," Starks said, noting a similar response in 2012 after a fatal shooting in the area. "What I heard today I've heard before, but maybe this will make a difference."
One person was killed and more than 20 were injured when gunfire erupted at a Juneteenth celebration shortly after midnight June 18. Witnesses said several hundred people were gathered in the parking lot of Somerset Plaza off Kingery Highway adjacent to the apartment complex when the shooting occurred.
Reginald Meadows, a 31-year-old father of two who lived in the Hinsdale Lakes Terrace apartment complex, was shot to death. Several others were injured and some remain in the hospital, according to the DuPage County sheriff's office.
In a news release Monday, the sheriff's office said it has more than 100 members of the countywide Metropolitan Emergency Response and Investigations Team dedicated to the case. Investigators have conducted "several hundred" interviews with witnesses, victims and potential suspects and reviewed hundreds of hours of video footage from cellphones, social media and local businesses, the office said.
Monday's meeting, headed by DuPage County Chairwoman Deborah Conroy, focused on community needs. The group included county board leaders, area school officials, community organizations and representatives for Hinsdale Lake Terrace apartments.
After the meeting, Conroy said mental health services are a top priority.
"There were a lot of people and families who have been touched by this tragedy, and we want to make sure that we're supporting them," she said. She anticipated the county health department would be in the community by week's end to provide help to those in need.
She said an action plan will be developed and the group will meet again soon, though a date has not yet been set. Other areas of need included programming for children, job assistance and a satellite office for the DuPage County sheriff's office.
Starks, who lived in Hinsdale Lake Terrace until about 2019, started a church in the apartment complex. She also participated in a group that worked with school officials to organize monthly activities, such as talent shows.
"We don't have as many programs as we used to have," said Starks, who moved out of the apartment complex in 2019 and moved her church a few minutes up the road.
Conroy said the county will be looking into grant opportunities to help community groups expand services in Willowbrook Corner.