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Subscribe to RSSTwo days after a teen who performed at President Obama's inauguration weekend was gunned down, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is set to yank 200 cops from desk jobs and make them fight crime on the streets. NBC's Kevin Tibbles reports.
Hadiya Pendleton's family faced the most heart-breaking of tasks Thursday: choosing the dress the 15-year-old shooting victim will wear at her funeral.
"It's been 48 hours of nothing but love, but now they need some time alone," cousin Shatira Wilks said.
The Chicago teen's death on Tuesday -- just a week after she performed during President Barack Obama's inaugural festivities -- put her loved ones in the spotlight.
They consoled the high school sophomore's many friends and cousins. They met with the mayor and spoke to the city's top cop.
Then they asked to be left alone for a day, so they could finalize plans to say farewell to a girl whose death had made headlines across the country and to grieve together.
For Pendleton's 10-year-old brother, Nate, known as Junior, that meant spending time in his big sister's now-empty room.
"He has been sleeping in her bed at night," Wilks said. "It's really sad. He was a serious little brother. And she loved being a big sister."
Pendleton was gathered with fellow members of the volleyball team in a park near the selective King College Prep High School when a gunman opened fire on the group Tuesday afternoon.
Scott Olson / Getty Images
Hadiya Pendleton's parents, Nate and Cleo, and her 10-year-old brother, whom she called Junior.
Police believe the shooter mistakenly thought the teens were members of a rival gang hanging out on disputed turf. He has not been caught.
Pendleton's mother, Cleopatra Cowley, told MSNBC's Al Sharpton on Thursday how she was at work when she got the call that her daughter had been shot.
"I took the first cab I could come across to get to my baby," she said, racked with sobs. "Never in a million years did I imagine I would be getting a call that my baby was shot."
She spoke of her daughter's love of books, her wide-eyed trip to Washington and her promising future.
"She loved life ... and she didn’t want to be anything more than she was – and that was just 15," Cowley said.
The pastor of the family's church said there is a sliver of consolation in the knowledge that the teen's death is stirring more debate about crime and guns in a city where more than 500 people were murdered last year.
"Something has to be done," Pastor Courtney C. Maxwell said, not long after Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced he was putting 200 more cops on the street. "I pray something positive comes out of this."
He said he had known Pendleton for about five years and was working on the tribute he will read to mourners at the Greater Deliverance Temple Church.
"What do you say about a young person to her hurt parents, to a hurt community, to a hurt nation?" he said.
Chicago teenager Hadiya Pendleton was shot and killed Tuesday, a victim of gun violence. Her death is inspiring people around the country to push for change to gun laws. Hadiya's mother Cleo Cowley shares her story with Rev. Al Sharpton.
Related:
- Friend: Slain Chicago teen said, 'I think I got shot,' then 'she just fell'
- Gunned down after 'the happiest day of her life'
- After Hadiya's death, Chicago to put 200 more cops on the street
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This is heartbreaking. The young girl had such a sweet face and a bright future ahead of her. RIP little girl. Hope the perpetrators get a quick trip to Old Sparky.
Build a wall around Chicago. When there is only one survivor from all the killing, knock down the wall shoot the survivor and start over.
I like it.
CHICAGO--the new Detroit. Ok so, many years ago the FBI put together a special task force that helped to end mob rule. Perhaps a new task force should be put together to rid chicago of its Nayoral office; have the Gov declare martial law, bring in the National Guard and take out these gangs. The gangs are pretty easy to spot; not working, standing around with guns, or just shooting people..time to get a real military presence.
Surely a mentally disturbed white guy shot her. This kind of crime doesn't happen every day in cities across the US. Even small cities lock up the crazy white man before he shoots the store clerk for rolling papers and some cash. We should ban all white people from owning guns because they are killers! Heck, most of the murders committed in Chicago, D.C., and other cities are committed by white people. <END SARCASM>
Lordpyrinc How about telling black people to stop making guns and bullets after all how else could they possibly have so many if they weren't manufacturing them with all their shops and stores and getting the proper permits to buy and carry. How about how they go in and buy up a s*** load from Walmart or a gun show whipping out their ID and smiling sweetly at the carmera. Yeah lets ask them to curtail the growing availablity of guns in their neighboorhoods. Ask them to please stop having those gun shows with the huge inventory waiting to be loaded into the back of someones truck or trunk. END SARCASM back at you. .
People are buying guns and ammunition because of fear that the current adminstration will ban certain types of firearms, limit ammunition sales, and ban magazines that hold more than 7 or 10 rounds. They are rightfully scared. Obama and Biden are making remarks that go against the US Constitution and such brazen rhetoric goes against everything this nation was founded on. Just because a person buys 100 rounds of ammo, doesn't mean he is going to commit some sort of crime. I've gone through more rounds than that during target shooting in a couple of hours. I dare say that most of us lawful gunowners are not members of the NRA (lobbyist group for gunmakers). That being said, the NRA is one of the few groups right now trying to protect the 2nd Ammendment. Even the NRA is advocating background checks at gun shows, so I'm not sure what your point is.
LORD, that is a blatant lie. The NRA IS NOT calling for background checks at gun shows, quite the opposite. Evidently you did not listen to the hearings yesterday when the lackey to the gun makers, a whore, whose hands are dripping with blood, La Pierre specifically said that the NRA opposed this, that it would "place an unncessary burden" on gun enthusiasts. He went on about a sappy, tear jerking tale of a grandfather wanting to give his old shotgun to his grandson and how this would complicate things. Boooo Hooooo, you gun crazies are breaking my heart with your melodrama. This is a gun sick culture and we have the homicide record to prove it. No where else in the world is there a murder rate like ours and particularly among industrialized democracies.
Touche, apparently the "news" article that I read earlier in the day had the details reversed, imagine that. So much for responsible journalism. As for "gun crazies"... if you mean "lawful citizens exercising their Constitutional rights", then in that case I am proud to be a citizen.
Heart Breaking my thoughts are with the family. Such a raising star gone too soon, more action needs to be done to clean up that city and others NOW.
I thought that Chicago had the toughest gun control in the country? I see that that works...
Chicago Illinois is as close as we get to Mexico in terms of gun violence and it's been that way for years but the liberal media buries the story so that their Democrat president won't look bad. Obama made a public statement on TV for Trayvon Martin after he was shot in self defense by Zimmerman. Where is his statement on Chicago violence and this little girl? Obama is a typical partisan propagandist who has all of you seduced. He's the greatest tragedy on this country.
Obama Obama Obama you folks actually give to much power to the man. He is only the President and than if he actually says he will pass something OH MY GOD you go berserk. Make up your mind. If you think he is the greatest tragedy on this country you are in for some surprise. I love how you say he is so so powerful that he is going to destroy America to the point that if the sun doesn't shine exactly right it because he made it come up wrong. If he had spoken out about this young lady you would have nailed him for speaking about a black women. If he doesn't he doesn't care. I pray for the sickness that has invaded so many about this man who is just a man called Obama our POTUS. You are the ones that are making him what you cry about. The rest of us know he trully is just a man who will only be president for another 4 years. I voted proudly for him and will vote proudly for whomever else I think is open thinking and non hating.
It is about time that Obama and Emmanuel focused on Chicago. 506 murders last year and 42 already in January indicates that strong gun control laws don't stop criminals from shooting. I wonder what would happen if we closed all the liquor stores and bars in Chicago, or cleaned up the drug fiasco in the city? They never want to blame the perps, they want to blame the gun that cannot point or shoot itself. Maybe we should take away cars from people since about 39,000 people die every year in auto accidents.
Criminals don't own liquor factories, nor do they control the drug business from foreign countries and domestically. Most of the street thugs are like the janitors in a huge corporation, needed but replaceable. No-one wants to go up the elevator to the top floor to find the real source of the drugs, the gambling and the guns.. You will never clean up the streets because they are owned by WALL STREET.
I just read that there have been 44 killings in Chicago in January 2013. Wonder how many victims and how many killers were minorities. Why go crazy over one girl when the entire city is out of control.
This isn't just a black, or white problem. It's everyone's problem. And I have no idea how to correct it. As long as there are people who think killing someone is not a big deal, this problem is going to get worse. And innocent people are going to get caught in the crossfire.
I am sorry for the pain you are going through, and if I could take it away. I would. I'm also terribly sorry at the loss of your daughter, may she rest in peace.
Easy death penalty, no appeals, sentence carried out within a week.
And why won't death penalty with no appeal no stop it?
My heart goes out to her family and the familys of all slain kids in the world,.. I truly feel nothing will be done about guns, drugs, in our worl
Bear you are so right nothing will be done because it would collapse a huge part of our economy. This is the money that can go unaccounted for by those at the top. The penny anny amount of money on the bottom street level is only a pin prick to what filters upward to those in the three piece suits who sit in the corner offices of our economy. The jungle we are afraid of is controlled by the Zoo keepers who pretend to be the legal authority of our world If anyone wants to deny that go right ahead and keep your head in the sand. They do clean up the streets of those that want to rise up a bit, they go to jail hence so many institutions, but you see there is a long line of others waiting for the crumbs from the table of those controlling the underworld because Satan offers them the world and than throws them into the pits to battle it out. .
Oh they were right the first time she was standing among a dozen gang members.
Every gun death, everywhere, should be reported nationally, every day.
Every day, every gun death, every media nationally, so we can't miss any of them.
Keep everyone fully informed about every gun death until a solution is found.
Sad story. But odd. So soon after a big event. And guns in the media.
Hand over to our government ALL assault rifles and extended magazines then sit down and shut up. That is one of the things I would like to see happen in order to curb the obsession we have with guns.
MYNAME, wrong pal. What is despicable is your asinine and heartless comments. And don't give me this crap about Libs, you Nazis ran this nation for the 8 years prior to Obama taking over. And in those 8 years your crowd lied us into needless wars and turned our economy into a shambles.
And exactly WTF do "politicians" have to do with this murder??? It is because of the primarlily Red states which have virtually no gun laws that cities like Chicago are awash with guns, which are brought in from states like Virgina, Texas and numerous other Southern states where anyone with the money can purchase a small arsenal if they have the money. Then the guns are run up to NYC, Chicago, Detroit and the like.
Just once in your life, try to show a little bit of class and compassion, you miserable excuse for a human being. This is a heartbreaking tragedy and if you can't find something empathetic, thoughful and compassionate to say than at least do the decent thing and keep you hideous thoughts to yourself.
That's the best you've got for a comeback pal??? How about trying to rebutt my comments with some sort of a cogent argument? You know, by using facts, logic and objectivity. But I guess that would hoping for too much, coming from a knuckle dragging, goon like yourself.
May the Soul of the Faithful, Departed through the Mercy of God Rest in Peace. And let the Perpetual light shine upon her. May her Soul Rest in Peace. Amen. May God give the Strength and Courage to her family to bear this huge loss. May GOD Bless her Soul. GOD Bless the Americans. GOD BLESS THE USA.
Kevin Valentine Moraes
Mira Road (Thane)
I am a white girl and I am just going to come out and say what I feel. First of all, this disgusts me. I can't believe that it took this 15 yr old African American child to lose her valuable life before the the Mayor of Chicago gets up off his butt and hire more help on the streets instead them sitting at their desk eating donuts, drinking coffee and as my dad used to say, shoot the s**t.
Why didn't you so called Mayor get those 200 officers on the streets years ago when the violence in Southside Chicago were bullying and shooting each other everyday as if they were having coffee. It's not normal. Someone being shot everyday is not NORMAL. Get the POINT???
I am so tired of hearing about Newtown. We shouldn't have waited until a practically all white high class school full of rich students to get shot before you politians decide to to get off your butt. And believe me, butt is not the word I want to use.
I live near a city that is 99 percent black and everyday a young child is either shot or hurt or abused or molested and no one cares. They don't even get to be on the front page of the Virginian Pilot Newspaper. They put the article at the end on a page nobody reads making it seem like who cares. Another gone. What difference does it make. I live on the nice side by the ocean and I read it and it makes me sick and always has ever since I moved here 19 years ago. But if a whte girl in Virginia Beach was shot or a tourist who happens to be a medical student from some high affluent college in Georgia gets kidnapped and strangled by a couple of Navy Seals, she makes the front page and all hell breaks out to find her killers. But the Virginia Pilot is the one in the wrong here as I see it. You, Virginian Pilot, need to put those poor black childrens picture and story on the front page for eveyone to feel pain for that little girl or boy that was shot for playing in the street or looked at someone that freaked that one person out so much that he feels he needs to put a bullet in his or her innocent tiny body. WAKE THE HELL UP PEOPLE. They are people too and we want to read about it so we the white families can grieve for your babies too. No matter the color. I am a mother but I love all kids no matter where they come from. That pure innocence that walks and talks and grows up thinking they can trust anyone, maybe trust YOU, the one who will shoot her or him tomorrow.
God Bless that child. May she live and not in fear in your house Father as she is with you today. I hope that when it's our turn to be with you O great Father, that we will have left our memory behind on this worldly earth and live freely and without fear in your our mansion you made for us where no one will have guns poking through the windows and where we will have no fear to walk out in the middle of the night except nothing but listening to the wonderful birds and incects you created for out once wonderful safe world called Earth. But then again God never said it would be easy and you know what? It isn't easy.
Yet more blinding stupidity from MY NAME. Were I half as ignorant as you, I would hope I'd have the good sense to keep my primitive thoughts to myself, lest the entire world discover what a mindless dolt I was.
I am however glad to learn how much you hate our President, cause you've got four more years of him and I sure hope you enjoy the ride. And here's a clue for you dummy, as president, Obama has nothing to do with the running of the city and even if he did, it would be impossible to completely turn around a major crime ridden metropolis in a few short years. And your posts more than a little bit, ooze with your thinly veiled racism.
That unfortunately is the crutch of the black man. Don't like Obama, you must be a racist. Don't like what Obama has accomplished, it's someone else's fault.
My thoughts, and prayers are with the family of this beautiful young lady,but I have to wonder,if she was not at the inauguration , of obama would she still be alive,one can only wonder,coincidence or plan.
Sure everything is a plot...
"You never let a serious crisis go to waste, and what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before."
Rahm Emanuel
Tell me again, who exploits children and violent events for political gain?
niggas killing niggas, sad but true
Hush kid
Breajs my heart reading stories like this.
Condolences to her family and friends. She didn't deserve this.
Time to get the illegal guns off the street.
Such a sad story, my heart goes out to the family.
We MUST find a way to curb gun violence in our communities.
The most heartbreaking death of all...an innocent child...
Hate to say it, but Chicago needs a campaign of carpet bombings followed by an invasion of troops. This is ridiculous, I think the US should adopt Somalia for the windy city!