Obituary
Murdered Chicago Contractor Worked to Boost Minority Participation in Construction
Jerry Lewis, a contractor and developer who helped mentor minority businesses, died March 24
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Jerry Lewis was a mentor and advocate for minority-owned businesses to participate in the construction industry. including the 1901 Project, a $7-billion plan intended to redevelop the area around the United Center on Chicago's West Side.
A contractor murdered on Chicago’s West Side on March 24 is being remembered as a guide and champion for minority-owned businesses seeking to be part of the 1901 Project, a $7 billion-plus, 15-year plan to redevelop 55 acres around Chicago's United Center with housing, retail, entertainment space and a public plaza.
Jerry Lewis, 67, was walking in the 2100 block of West Madison Street at about 12:50 p.m. on March 24 when, according to police, two men, Nassie Mason, 28 and Erving Harris, 31, got out of a Honda and approached Lewis. Mason allegedly shot Lewis in the back of the head before Harris allegedly shot Lewis in the body three times, according to local news reports.
No motive has yet been revealed for the alleged assassination, which was witnessed by Chicago police who happened to be patrolling the area in an unmarked vehicle and arrested the two men within eight seconds of the attack. The two suspects were also seen on surveillance cameras allegedly waiting for Lewis for 90 minutes to exit a building before walking up to him and shooting him.
Mason and Harris, both of Chicago, were each charged with first degree murder and a felony count of possessing a weapon. At a March 27 hearing, the men were ordered detained pending trial.
Lewis, who owned a construction and development firm, was executive director of the 1901 Community Implementation Committee, training minority-owned contractors to take part in future work on the 1901 Project.
One of those participating in the training is Traci Quinn, founder and CEO of Pink Hats Construction & Development Group.
“Jerry Lewis was more than a mentor—he was a visionary, a connector and a true advocate for people who are often overlooked, especially on Chicago’s West Side,” she says. “Through his leadership with the 1901 Project and his presence in the construction and development space, he created real pathways for individuals like myself and many others to step into opportunities we may not have otherwise had access to.”
Quinn says she and others are learning about estimating, bidding, accounting, engineering, design and other topics in the training sponsored by the committee. She intends to bid for carpentry, painting and drywall work at 1901.
“Jerry believed in building people,” she adds. “He poured [his energy] into emerging developers, small contractors and returning citizens [from prison], helping us see that we belonged in rooms and on projects that historically excluded us. He didn’t just talk about equity—he actively created it.”
The Chicago Tribune notes in an editorial that “Lewis over the years hired men from the West Side, some of whom had past gang ties or criminal records. Born and raised on the West Side, Lewis raised his family in the south suburbs but never lost connection with his roots. He dedicated himself to mentoring others from his old neighborhood who aspired to follow in his footsteps.”
At a hearing in May 2024 about an affordable housing project in Chicago, the editorial notes that Lewis said "we’ve taken 15 previously incarcerated gang leaders and helped them start their own businesses," and that those companies "are hiring from the community to assure that the violence is reduced, that there’s … high-paying jobs with the unions.”
