Chicago anti-violence group may shut down due to worsening crime

CHICAGO - At 75th & Stewart, there's a liquor store, a massive sinkhole surrounded by barricades and there's also the Mask Block Academy.

For nearly a decade, it's been a safe haven for kids to play and get a free bite to eat. But just three weeks ago, a man was shot four times half a block away.

"To tell you the truth, I've never heard gunshots out here that close. I didn't know what it was," founder Tamar Manasseh said. 

Manasseh is now raising money to install surveillance cameras, but she's urging the city to add speed bumps immediately.

"We want to make sure people think twice before they fire a weapon in a safety zone," Manasseh said. 

Alderman Will Hall, Ward 6, said he's held three "hope and career fairs" resulting in jobs. 

Hall is working with the Streets and Sanitation Department to clean up the community and with the Dept. of Transportation to curb car theft.

He told FOX32 speed bumps are coming any day now. 

The academy is open seven days a week. There's a community giveaway every other Saturday. A majority of the organization's funding is from public donations. 

Travis Cherry, 10, said it's where he learned how to throw a football and he looks forward to attending the academy every day.