Highland Park gets a taste of new normal as downtown reopens after mass shooting; ‘Everyone is supporting each other’

As businesses reopened in a four-square-block area of downtown Highland Park — which had been closed as a crime scene since the July 4 parade mass shooting until the wee hours of Sunday morning — hugs were as plentiful as purchases.

Merchants and shoppers exchanged greetings, shared stories, commiserated about their experiences and offered comfort to each other Monday along Central Avenue as residents began to sense what the new normal will be like.

When Arden Edelcup, one of the owners of Ross Cosmetics, was walking back to her store at Central Avenue and Second Street, where the shooting took place, she saw a longtime customer Stephanie Mines, a Highland Park resident since 1972. They immediately embraced.

“We’ve been three times as busy as we usually are,” Edelcup said. “We’ve all been hugging, kissing, crying, sharing. Everyone’s crying for the children.”

Mines wore a “Highland Park Strong” T-shirt she bought Saturday night at a reunion. She made the purchase as soon as she learned the money was going to benefit Cooper Roberts, the 8-year-old who was paralyzed by one of the bullets fired by the gunman.

“I’m going to start a GoFundMe page to raise money for the first responders,” she said. “They saved 17 lives because they were able to make tourniquets.”

A Highland Park High School classmate of Robert Crimo Jr., the father of the alleged shooter charged with killing seven people on July 4, Mines said she is having trouble processing it.

“It creeps me out,” she said. “I’m starting a prayer chain praying for our community, keeping in mind those whose lives were lost and those who were wounded.”

At Central and Second where Robert Crimo III allegedly camped on the roof firing his high-powered rifle at the Fourth of July Parade crowd, the entire northeast corner was covered with colorful chalk designs created by two young girls Monday.

“Helping is art,” the chalk message said. “It takes time, it takes patience, it takes love.”

Karen Weiss, the owner of Lori’s Shoes on Central Avenue between First and Second streets, said the girls were going store to store with parents asking permission to decorate the sidewalks in front.

“You can just feel the support of the community,” Weiss said. “Everyone is supporting each other.”

Twin sisters Iris Morgan and Linda Wallace, who grew up in Highland Park, were sitting on a bench at the southeast corner of Central and Second. As adults they moved to New Orleans, but returned as refugees from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. They felt the warmth of the community then, helping them resettle. They are making an effort to support the merchants.

“This is so sad for Highland Park,” Morgan said. “We love it so much.”

Wallace said she spent five days before being rescued from a rooftop in New Orleans trying to save others. She started to tear up as she compared the devastation of the hurricane and the savagery of the shooting.

“This is much worse because it hurt the children,” Wallace said. “This was manmade. At least a hurricane is natural.”

Another person eager to support the local business community was Judy Bendoff of Highland Park. She was sitting outside Madame Zuzu’s on First Street, which opened Sunday for the first time since July 4. She and her husband are making it a point to spend money in town.

“I’m happy to see people out and about,” Bendoff said. “We need to be with each other.”

Chloe Mendel, the co-owner of Madame Zuzu’s, said business has been steady as the community comes together. A city with a history of welcoming people who were not always wanted elsewhere, she is confident things will be all right.

“This is a welcoming community,” Mendel said. “It’s where people come to raise their children. We will be back.”