For Immediate Release
Speak Out Illinois LLC
Peoria, IL — We do not believe the Peoria Police Department is serious about sustained community safety—not when it took a frightening week around Manual High School for leadership to finally hold a press conference and call on “the men of Peoria” to show up. That message, on its face, is welcome. But it arrives late, after multiple prior moments when the same urgency and organized call-in could—and should—have been issued.
In the past several days, the department acknowledged gunfire near Manual High School and then publicly challenged “the men of Peoria” to form visible lines of support at schools. Yet this isn’t the first time our city has faced violence or high-tension policing incidents. Peoria has seen repeated flashpoints and official statements: school-adjacent gunfire, ongoing safety briefings, and even a recent officer-involved fatal shooting—each instance where a broad, inclusive, citywide call-in to families, faith leaders, barbers, coaches, nonprofits, businesses, and elected officials should have been immediate and coordinated. Issuing that call only now suggests reaction, not strategy.
Let’s be clear: the police cannot do this alone—and the community cannot carry it alone. What’s missing is a united, transparent, and accountable response where the Police Department, City Hall, Peoria Public Schools, county officials, state legislators, and community organizations plan together, speak together, and work from the same playbook. That means scheduled joint briefings (not one-off pressers), shared metrics and timelines, and a published, community-vetted plan that includes prevention, credible-messenger mentoring, trauma-informed supports, safe-passage coverage, and real youth opportunities.
Peoria’s kids deserve consistency, not spikes of attention after headlines. Speak Out Illinois LLC will continue to show up, organize, and partner—while insisting that those with authority move beyond speeches to shared, measurable work. It shouldn’t take a crisis to call us in.
Media Contact:
Speak Out Illinois LLC
press@speakoutillinoisllc.com
