A Highland Park City Council committee has recommended approval of an agreement with consultant firm Do Tank Do to gather community feedback on how best to honor the victims of the Fourth of July parade shooting at a “place of remembrance.”
Do Tank Do was one of 22 bids the Place of Remembrance Working Group — which has been meeting regularly since November of 2023 — received after a request for proposals. DTD has offices in Chicago and Glasgow, Scotland, and specializes in “human-centered designs” with a focus on healthcare, according to city documents.
The agreement will be placed on the agenda for the next full council meeting on Oct. 15. Compensation for the survey and consultation work will be $45,000.
DTD representatives who spoke during Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting emphasized their trauma-informed approach, given the sensitivity of the situation, although they have not had prior experience working with communities that have faced mass violence.
If the agreement moves forward, DTD will create and administer a community-wide survey in English and Spanish, conduct focus groups, make presentations to the council and working groups, and collect, clean, analyze and present data.
On July 4, 2022, authorities say then-21-year-old Robert Crimo III opened fire on a Highland Park Independence Day parade from a rooftop, killing seven people and injuring dozens of others. His trial is set to start in February.