Speaker Welch calling in grief counselors for lawmakers who have trouble dealing with the death of Adam Toledo

Posted on April 16, 2021
Speaker of the Illinois House Chris Welch. (Photo courtesy: WJBC/File)

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – The Speaker of the Illinois House says grief counselors will be available at the Capitol next week for lawmakers and staff who have trouble dealing with the death of Adam Toledo, 13, whose shooting death by Chicago police is now on video for the world to see.

“It’s more than just this moment,” Welch told representatives Friday morning, the day after the video’s release. “It’s the pervasive, systemic racism, increased hate toward people of color, the lack of justice, and the disparities magnified  throughout this pandemic.”

State Rep. Lakesia Collins (D-Chicago), a mother of three, said Adam could have been hers. The representative in whose district the shooting happened, State Rep. Edgar Gonzalez, Jr., (D-Chicago), noted he was sworn in at age 23 — and that Adam could have joined him in the House in just ten years.

Welch, saying “mental health is important to us all,” said grief counselors would be available at the Capitol next week.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]. 

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