Community leaders on the West Side are asking who is responsible for cleaning blood left on public streets after violent crimes, saying the visible stains re-traumatize families and neighbors.

Velma Pena, president of the Westwood Square Neighborhood Association, said she arrived at a shooting scene in August and found a large amount of blood close to the curb and sidewalk.

“It was a lot,” she said.

Pena said the blood had been only partially covered with sand or gravel, leaving it exposed. She said she called city offices and was directed to the police nonemergency line, and that it took time to get a response. She said she was trying to make sure the victim’s family would not see the scene.

“I felt so bad for his family. In the Hispanic culture, they come out and they put flowers whe

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