Memorial Day weekend has historically marked the unofficial start to , signaling the time for many Americans to pack up their and and enjoy the great outdoors. For many youths living in inner city Chicago, however, the weekend presents an uptick in gun violence. That's why one Chicago police officer took a group of youngsters camping over the weekend to help keep them safe.
According to reporting by , the holiday weekend incurred at least 41 shootings in the city. In anticipation of the violence, Officer Will Martinez with the Chicago Police Department’s 15th district loaded up a 15-passenger van with gear, food and young residents of the Austin neighborhood and drove two hours out of the city to pitch up and enjoy some peace. “As long as they put in the work in building up their community, I wanted to give them a safe place," Martinez tells .
"So we take them from here, uproot them, give them a safe place. It’s a gated camping ground. They can roam around.
" This is the fourth year that the district has organized the trip with the aim of getting children and teenagers out of harm's way over a violent weekend. Though the youths have now returned to the city, time spent in nature has the capacity to give them benefits that will last beyond the weekend. As we've previously reported, a week in nature is believed to be optimal to deliver the associated with time spent outdoors, which include lower levels of stress, depression and anxiety and increased vitamin D, melatonin an.