Chicago’s Chinese students fear death in wake of fatal shooting
- At an emotional rally held a week after the killing of Dennis Zheng Shaoxiong, some attendees say the diplomas are not worth their lives
- While the University of Chicago searches for a solution, divided opinions on policing reveal the gap between campus and surrounding neighbourhood
Dennis Zheng Shaoxiong was the third student or recent graduate from the University of Chicago to have been fatally shot in the city within the past year, and the second to die in the Hyde Park neighbourhood, where the campus is located.
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None of the deaths were related, but they brought Chicago’s biggest problem close to the students, especially those who grew up in countries where gun violence is non-existent.
The immediate response from the city was to increase police presence, even as others pushed back, saying Hyde Park already had two police forces plus unarmed security guards, and that over-policing could further harm black and brown-skinned residents.
A week after Zheng’s death, around 200 students, many from the university’s international Chinese cohort, held an emotional rally on campus, yelling demands into a megaphone and arguing with each other over solutions.
Among them was Zheng’s girlfriend Shirley Cai, also from China, who is studying political science and understands the American struggle with gun violence. She arrived late and stayed on the outskirts of the crowd, trying to remain calm.