South Central Reporter

After spending a night camping out on Chicago's South Side, GOP gubernatorial candidate and current state Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Louisville) is now asking what Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) and Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D-Chicago) are doing to stop the violence.

Bailey joined Pastor Corey Brooks for one night of Project H.O.O.D.'s (Helping Others Obtain Destiny) 100 day camp-out aimed at taking a stand against gun violence. During a Nov. 29 press conference, Bailey said not even 100 yards from where they were they heard gunfire at around 2 a.m.

"What on earth is going on in the city of Chicago? And why isn't this being addressed?" Bailey asked during the a news conference. "Every Monday morning we get up and we look forward to the headlines, unfortunately, to see how many shootings and how many deaths have taken place here in Chicago. And we in Illinois must realize this isn't just a Chicago problem, this is becoming an every urban area problem."

Bailey said throughout the night fire trucks, police cruisers, and ambulances were going up and down King Drive. In a tweet, Bailey said he'll work with Brooks "to find solutions that provide safer communities" and other ways to make the neighborhood better. 

"J.B. Pritzker, Mayor Lightfoot, where are you at? Why are our police officers so stifled in their work?" Bailey asked during the conference. "This has been going on for far too long."

Brooks is the leader of Project H.O.O.D.-New Beginnings Church. From Nov. 20 through Feb. 28, Brooks is camping out on the rooftop of a replica of the Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center to take a stand against gun violence.

"I've learned at this point in my life that all I want to do is make life better for other people, and making life better for other people means that sometimes we have to enlarge our tent and invite people in," Brooks said. 

Brooks has invited CEOs, politicians, parents, and business owners to join him during the campout. He wants to see the area known as the O-block, once dubbed the most dangerous block in all of Chicago by the Chicago Sun Times, turned into the Opportunity Block.

He's working to raise money to build the Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center that will serve as a place for young people to transform their lives whether its through trades or entrepreneurial school or even through trauma counseling.