DeKALB | Isaiah Booker, junior elementary education major, spent the weekend in the hospital visiting his brother, Trez, 22, who was shot five times Friday on the streets of Chicago.

Trez is on a ventilator and is responsive but has a low survival expectancy. He is a father to an 11-month-old daughter.

“The gun violence in Chicago just has to stop,” Booker said.

A series of three events called In the Name of Justice was meant to bring awareness to the 3,737 shooting victims of Chicago gun violence since January.

Tombstone lineup

The events kicked off Thursday with 6,000 tombstones lining Lucinda Avenue. Jill Tikkun, leadership, educational psychology and foundations instructor and event coordinator, said the tombstones partially represented gun violence deaths in Chicago since 2007.

Artist showcase

Students, faculty and organizations joined together for the artist showcase 7 to 10 p.m. Friday in the Carl Sandburg Auditorium, which centered on the effects of shootings in Chicago and encouraged non-violence.

The cost to attend was $5 with proceeds going to those affected by Chicago gun violence, Tikkun said. The performances included dance, spoken word, rap, hip-hop, piano and song.

Tekkahmah Curry, instructor at the Center for Black Studies, hosted the event. Before she introduced the first performance, she talked about the life of her nephew, who died as a result of gun violence in Chicago.

“These are not just numbers and tombstones,” Curry said. “These are real stories.”

Naomi Bolden, freshman political science and Spanish double major, showcased a dance routine with her dance group YBL. She planned on leaving after her performance, but said she stayed because she felt connected as she saw more acts.

Bolden is a Chicago native, and just a few months ago, she was running in fear for her life from the sound of gun shots.

“When I heard the rappers talking about Ferguson and all the kids that have been losing their lives over the years since 2007, that really made me feel like any day, that that could be me,” Bolden said.

Artists traveled to NIU from Chicago to perform at this event such as members from Elephant Rebellion, a collective of artists giving back to the community through education, music and workshops.

“Hopefully, when people hear these stories, they’ll have more of an understanding on what it’s like to go through the pain of losing someone or seeing other people go through pain as well,” said Damaly Keo, Elephant Rebellion visual artist.

Attendees left the name of someone they lost to Chicago violence and a message on a card after the event.

“I’m going to show [the messages] to the people at NIU that say this doesn’t matter to us,” Tikkun said. “My students are leaving for funerals. My students are leaving because they had a friend shot. This has to do with us.”

An interactive discussion about the effects of Chicago gun violence on our community and the lives of people who experienced the loss of someone they knew concluded the events Sunday at Faranda’s Banquet Center, 302 Grove St.