University of Chicago student murdered

¶ Woodlawn residents rally to decry violence call for change

Woodlawn residents, members of CeaseFire and local officials gathered Nov. 20 at the corner of 61st Street and Ellis Avenue in a display of solidarity and grief where 29-year-old University of Chicago student and a native of Dakar, Senegal, Amadou Cisse was fatally shot on Nov. 19.

“This is indeed a tragic occasion, I don’t know anything that is worse than the untimely death of one of our youth who has yet to fulfill the great purposes God gave to him at birth.” said Rev. Leon Finney Jr. “Here is a man who came all the way from Senegal to come to this great land of ours to receive an education and in the process it cost him his life.”

Cisse was a chemistry student and had successfully defended his doctoral thesis on Nov. 1. He will be awarded a Ph.D. posthumously at graduation on Dec. 7.

“You have the opportunity in the greatest nation on Earth to raise yourself up,” said 3rd District Police Lieutenant Timothy Bickham. “This gentleman from Senegal, he raised himself pretty high.”

Bickham urged the crowd to use the tragedy as a force to cement a positive relationship between residents and police.

“The police stand with the community on this; one death is too many.” Bickham said. “Let’s not let this poor man’s death be a waste.”

Ald. Willie Cochran (20th) urged those gathered to not let a tragic incident lead to immobility and fear, but instead action to protect the neighborhood.

“This is a great opportunity to take this and use it to develop a relationship between the university and the community like there has never been before,” Cochran said. “Let’s take this and understand that the violence that was perpetrated on this young man gives us an opportunity to provide the safety and the relationships that each and every one of us wants in this community.”

“I’ve been here for numerous years,” said Cisse’s landlord, Timothy, who declined to give his last name. “This neighborhood has always been a city neighborhood, it has crime, we cannot hide from it.”

A man was accosted the about 12:30 a.m. in the 6000 block of South Woodlawn Avenue the same night and was shot at when he ran from he ran from suspicious vehicle that pulled up next to him. About 45 minutes later in the 900 block of East 57th Street five armed men robbed two female students, police reported. Cisse was shot just after 1:25 a.m. in the 6100 block of South Ellis Street.

“We’ve got to stop this now. I’m also imploring anyone who has any information on the perpetrator of this crime to come forward now and do a service to this community,” said Ald. Howard Brookings (21st).

The University of Chicago is offering a $10,000 reward for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person who shot Cisse. “[My student residents] usually aren’t out at night; they know the daytime is theirs and the nighttime isn’t,” Cisse’s landlord said. “I get lots of e-mails from [residents’ parents] and they’re all worried and wondering what I can do about security.”

The university police have increased police patrols in the south campus and have installed a police substation at the corner of East 61st Street and South Drexel Avenue, that will remain until the new police headquarters at East 56th Street and South Ellis Avenue opens in May. The SafeRide van service hours have also been extended until 10 p.m. U. of C. President Robert Zimmer will establish a Working Group on Safety and Security composed of faculty, staff, students and community representatives.

The university will hold a on-campus housing security forum at 5 p.m. Nov. 28 at the Reynolds Club McCormick Tribune Lounge.