Resident urges city to add lights, cameras and school protections after family killings and bullying

Anna Williams, a resident who identified herself during public comment at the City Council meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 3, urged the mayor and aldermen to install lighting and cameras in what she called “red‑zone” areas and to increase protections for students after a series of violent incidents and bullying in local schools. “A few years ago, my grandson was murdered, gun violence,” Williams said. “We need some street lights. We need to get a few people like me… I’m not a detective, and I can just about tell you where it's all coming from.”

Williams said her grandson, identified in her remarks as Kimani Franks, was killed at age 16 after an earlier confrontation that involved younger students; she also described threats and repeated audio recordings that targeted her 13‑year‑old granddaughter, who had been teased and assaulted at Kennedy School after her mother died. Williams told council members she had met with police and the superintendent about the incidents and that she wants faster, more visible responses: lights, cameras and stronger school protections.

The request came during the public‑comment portion of the meeting; Williams asked to meet personally with officials after her remarks and named Pioneer Park and the area near West Bridge Street as locations where she has heard gunfire and seen shell casings. Mayor and aldermen responded with expressions of sympathy and said they hoped the council, the park district and the school district could work together on solutions.

Williams described multiple, specific safety concerns: a zone she called a “red zone” near Pioneer Park where she has previously requested lighting and where family members have been shot; an incident she said produced four or five audio recordings of threats against her granddaughter at school; and recurrent gunfire and recovered casings near her home at 653 West Bridge. She also said police had visited after a 911 call and that she believes repeat offenders operate within a roughly three‑mile radius of the downtown.

Council members and the mayor did not adopt any formal motion during public comment. The transcript records supportive remarks and a pledge to coordinate with the park district and school district; no specific funding or installation timeline was announced at the meeting.

The council meeting proceeded to its published agenda after public comment concluded, with officials noting the council would take Williams’s concerns under advisement and pursue conversations with partner agencies.

No formal action was recorded at this meeting to authorize street‑lighting or camera purchases, to require school security changes, or to allocate funds; Williams asked for a meeting and sought the council’s help in coordinating a response.