On June 26th, 2025 our community's sense of safety and trust with the Chicago Park District was further broken. Charles Leto, a park district employee, opened fire on 3 teen boys and murdered Marjay Dotson, 15, and critically injured Jeremy Herred, 14.

We need the park district to answer us in how it came to be that this person, with a pattern of abusive behavior towards patrons, and a serious violent past where he shot and murdered and injured his neighbors dogs, came to be in charge of the care of the youth in Douglass Park. We have created this letter writing tool to make it easier for community members to write the Chicago Park District Board and demand justice for Marjay and Jeremy. **We have until Monday 7/14 at 12pm to get these letter's in!**

We are demanding that the park district answer:

• How Charles Leto was able to pass a background check to care for youth? What does that screening process look like?
• Why was he moved from Gill Park in Wrigleyville, where patrons complained about his abusive behavior, to Douglass Park?
• Was the Douglass Park supervisor, Angela Sallis, aware of his pattern of being volatile with Wrigleyville patrons? Who was supervising him on the day of the shooting?
• Does he have a history of being written up? What's the park district's process for discipline and how will it change as a result of this tragedy?
• Douglass does not have a functional Park Advisory Council or space for community oversight. What is the park district doing to ensure that Park Advisory Council guidelines are being followed and dysfunctional PACs are being held accountable?
• Below is a map of all the swim lessons on the Chicago Park District website.
  • How can we have lifeguards that reflect our community when there are so few swim lessons on the West and South sides?
  • What happened to the partnership with Collins Academy High School that gave youth access to swimming year round?

Feel free to add your own demands and questions as well.