Murdered Chicago Contractor Worked to Boost Minority Participation in Construction | Columbus Ohio Dump Trucks

No motive has yet been revealed for the alleged assassination witnessed by Chicago police who happened to be patrolling the area in an unmarked vehicle and arrested the two men within eight seconds. The two suspects were also caught 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, both 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 Charlotte NC dump truck contractor to take part in future columbus oh dump truck 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 columbus oh dump truck work at 1901. 

“Jerry believed in building people,” she adds. “He poured [his energy] into emerging developers, small Charlotte NC dump truck contractor 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 dump trucks columbus oh community to assure that the violence is reduced, that there’s … high-paying jobs with the unions.”