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Hadiya Pendleton, 15, a student at King College Prep, was killed at a Chicago park near a school.
Published 1:55 p.m. ET: First Lady Michelle Obama will attend the funeral of a 15-year-old girl gunned down last week in Chicago, a White House source said.
The first lady will travel to Chicago on Saturday and attend the funeral for Hadiya Pendleton at Calahan Funeral Home, according to the source. She will attend along with Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
Hadiya was killed last Tuesday at Kenwood Park on the city's South Side days after she performed at some of President Barack Obama's recent inauguration festivities. She was shot to death blocks from her school and about a mile from the president's Chicago home.
The reward leading to her killer stands at $40,000.
A petition was started asking that Obama attend the funeral. Unconfirmed reports earlier this week said Michelle Obama had considered attending.
The Pendleton family's pastor confirmed the president called Hadiya's parents to offer his sympathies. "We thank him for that, and if he does come, that's fine," Pastor Courtney Maxwell said. "If he doesn't, we know he sends his love."
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn also will attend the funeral, set for 9 a.m. Saturday at the Greater Harvest Baptist Church, at 5141 S. State St. A visitation for the teen will be held Friday at Calahan Funeral Home, at 7030 S. Halsted St., from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Related:
Funeral arrangements set for Hadiya Pendleton, teen shot in Chicago
Hadiya Pendleton's family: 'Just a matter of time' before killer is caught
Leave a Comment:
The Election is over and we need to deal with it. President Obama won a second Term and America lost. Just deal with it. Our only ace in the hole is that the Republicans control the House of Representatives and can stop his unconttrolled spending and prevent harry Reid from spending as well.
Kudos to the Republican Party keep up the good work and keep President Obama in line
I laughed out loud at that one. Sore losers.
how did america loose if america voted President Obama in to office in the first place. Republicans are avictim of there own ignorance and inability to be more inclusive
Enma3
You make me proud as hell to be white.
Proud to be something you were coincidentally born into?
Just another photo op. Kara, what color is Chris and how old is he. He doesn't fit their agenda.
You do know Michelle is going because the kid particpated in the inauguration don't you?Guess not.
what a joke
photo opp time...like she cares....
she probaly going ...nevermind
I hope every parent who lost a child by gang violence during Obama's time in office, sends the first lady a picture of their child. I'm betting there will be many. Of course, that was BEFORE the big anti-gun agenda push!
You do know she's attending the funeral because the girl participated in the inaugurations, right?
Guess not.
A convenient excuse for the administrations grandstanding on it's useless gun control agenda! I wonder if they will go to any other funerals of people who participated in the inaugurations and die as well. I don't recall the president or the first lady going to the elderly womans funeral after she got to meet them a while back...
Yeah, if not for her performance at His Majesty's coronation, Hidaya would be just another forgotten statistic.
I don't want every parent who lost a child to violence to send a picture to the White House. This will just entice them to go after our guns even more. What we should be doing is sending a picture of everyone who has been saved from rape, murder or robbery due to being armed. Now THAT would be impressive. All you see on the news is people who were gunned down by a gang or some other wacko. You never hear about the people who saved themselves because they were armed. This happens all the time. Many women were saved from being raped because they had a gun in their purse. Many people are alive today, because they had a gun in their house when and intruder broke in, etc. You read about it on conservative sites, but the liberal media will not put it on their shows and websites. CNN is a joke with no ratings anyway. Fox gets a lot better ratings than CNN.
Send pictures of both. The first showing it's not a gun problem, but a social problem. The second showing what we must do to protect ourselves while they continue to ignore the first!
All this is doing is pandering to various groups involved in the gun control debate. It would be better if the President and the first Lady would outline what he is going to do to improve poverty, drugs, education and unemployment in the inner cities, which are the main drivers of the associated gun violence.
Oblahblah fix the economy???
BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA
Thanks for the laugh.....
Apparently he "organized" that community about as poorly as he runs this country. He just pits one group against another.
Oh, yeah. The pitting of one group against another is all Obama's fault, right? It's Obama's fault you hate black people, right?
Make way..... for The Queen!
Michelle can do whatever the f--k she wants to do. If you guys don't like it tough tiddy.
Can't argue with that, she's the f--k--g Queen, right?
Sore losers. All you can do is call names.
Michele "Two Chairs" Obama means one less relative will be allowed to attend.
Can you even imagine trying to hold yourself together to bury your child and then this circus of gun toting SS, media, and Michelle Obama come to town to capture the photo ops and take up space otherwise held by friends and family. I understand that the press secretary of Obamas did ask if she could attend. If you are in the depths of grief and the White House calls requesting to attend the funeral would you argue with them? No. You simply do not have the strength. Instead, send them several thousand $$$ of YOUR own money, Mr. President, to pay for the funeral. These people have zero class or compassion. Same photo op as Hurricane Sandy...now they are still w/o heat with a storm coming.
Yes, keep on hating on Michelle Obama. That's why America completely rejects the GOP.
Hate and racism--that's all the GOP has to offer.
I thought it was those cool Obama phones?
Obama: "Call me"
Yep.
Pointing out that Michelle is standing on the graves of children to promote an anti-gun legislation is SOOOOOOO racist.
Bart said so.
It's the country's anti-gun agenda. Haven't you seen the polls?
The US Constitution laughs at your polls, Bart. It's a loud, booming BWAHAHAHAHA kind of laugh, too.
michelle is going just to make sure she is dead
obamas love them some dead americans
Bart,
Polls mean nothing.
My rights are not up for a popularity contest.
the Constitution? Still waiting to see that well-regulated militia.
Maybe Rahm should attend and get a clue about how much gang violence there actually is......A gun was the means but a gang was the cause....there's a significant difference.
My heart does go out to her family....
Only the racist white folks would find something wrong with the first lady going to the funeral of a girl who participated in the inauguration.
Keep on hating. More wins for the Dems for decades to come
I'm laughing at you.
I'm laughing some more.
Bart, relax, your guy has another four years.
This isn't about race; this about whether or not this is genuine gesture to the family or another publicity appearance to garner support for more gun laws. Considering she hasn't attended any other funerals for any of the many children killed in Chicago in the past 18 months it gives the appearance of being politically motivated.
Michelle is attending this funeral because it's of a girl who participated in the inauguration.
Wondering if it's genuine gesture? Give me a break. Define "genuine gesture." Does she have to get on the ground and cry her tears out for this girl before you believe her?
Michelle is attending this funeral because it's another child's grave that she can stand on to pass her husband's anti-gun legislation.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Forget it Bart no ones buying it!
Nothing more, nothing less? The ONLY reason she chose to go to THIS funeral is because the girl performed in the inauguration.
Don't you think that if Michelle wanted to make some grand political statement, she would have shown up at the Newtown funerals?
Hate from haters. keep it coming/
Bart, a genuine gesture? That would be her attending unannounced, not making a spectacle of it. If you can't see that her attedance has political implications in the gun law debate you're blind, totally naive or in complete denial. I'm not condemning her for it, but I do question her motivation.
Yep.....that's what they told you lemmings.
And you slurped it right up, didn't you, Bart?
And she didn't have to go to Newtown.....Barry was already standing on their graves.
Exactly soaz! Perfect last sentence. Not condeming, just calling a spade, a spade! (as in shovels you idiots who will call that remark racist!)
I do expect a lot more wins for democrats in the years to come, they say people with Alzheimer's is expected to triple by 2050.
Bart,
Why are you arguing about this? Isn't there a Boy Scout story that you are needed at? First your arguing for Queers in the Boy Scouts & now for this. You really have identity problems. Or do you just like to argue?
Airborne, I just question any and every thing politicians or their families do anymore...but especially this administration. How many kids have we seen in his photo ops?
yeah the republicans don't have the heart to attend the funeral of a slain (anyboby, cop, child, military, etc, white hispanic or black) so please STFU....
Yep. We don't have the heart to use children as pawns for our political gain.
The rests squarely on the shoulders of the DNC.
A kid died. It seems like YOU'RE using this kid as a pawn for political gain.
Bart Conner, so because someone doesn't agree with this that makes them non-black + racist + not a dem.
who's the ignorant one here. Sorry, but there are dems and blacks that do not believe everything Mr. obama and his wife do.
The problem is the comments come from ignorance. Many are outright racist. Michelle is paying respects to girl killed after participating in the inauguration. It's not about Chicago gun violence.
And yes, I'll bet my life savings that the tasteless commenters are white, racist, and voted GOP.
again I will say it so you believe all racist are GOP voters and dems by all means aren't
unnecessary... if i get killed in chicago she better come to my funeral too.
Did you perform at the inauguration?
Only if it will further Obama's agenda in some way, numba79.
Keeping America's children safe? Sign me up for that agenda.
This poor child was gunned down AFTER PERFORMING AT THE PRESIDENT'S INAUGURATION!!!! THAT is why our First Lady is attending!!!! It has nothing to do with her color or that she is from Chicago. My God you people!!!
music, that probably has some truth to it but on the other hand her appearance does look politically montivated because her husband is leading the charge for more gun control laws. Her attendance will bring gun control to the center of the news again and that is undoubtly what the Obamas want.
I never said it was due to color or where she is from.
I said it is to promote her husband's anti-gun legislation.
So does this mean Michelle can never attend another funeral of a gun shot victim because it will seem like it's politically motivated?
You're sick
Sure. But you have to ask yourself.........Why did she have to put out a press release stating she was going to attend, hmmmm??
Bart, I'm not sick, I'm a realist and I've seen the first family play politics for the past five years. I'm not saying the GOP doesn't do the same either; my point is this looks very much like a well orchestrated, politically motivated, carefully calculated move by the President and his wife to bring gun control to forefront in a very subtle manner.
Let's face it....this President and First Lady can't do anything RIGHT! He was asked to attend the funeral, he is sending Mrs. Obama and now he has an agenda for doing so. If he didn't attend or send a representative he's the biggest jerk there is...he sends her and he's got an agenda. The girls happens to be black....many say Michelle is going because the girl is black. The girl was from Chicago...Michelle is only going because the Obama's are from Chicago. I'm sure if the girl was white and from North Dakota Mrs. Obama would be going then too.
The President and First Lady are supposed to put our press releases for EVERYTHING THEY DO.
They're the president and the first lady
What a great opportunity. Some of the strictest gun laws in a city/state, another young girl murdered. Good time for a photo shoot for Michele and somewhere mention more gun control.
bill/ and so wha?,, what can you do about it?, but sit here on this blog and complain about it. No it good time for you to shut the hell up.
woman strong --
Stop trying to infringe on our rights as American citizens to freedom of speech! (Fist in the air!)
Give me a break!
Obamanation hides them just like Fox News when he attacks the Obama family values with a wink. In his orbit blacks have no family values.
Obamanation show us evidence the support their family values are less than Sara Palin's Queen of Family Values and troubled children
Gee, Yhbua.
You know me sooo well.
Because everyone knows that if you are against the policies of Oblahblah, you just HAVE to be a racist, right????
Gimme a break. You're stretching, even for you.
I'll let you decide moron.
It's the lack of family values in the inner city slums he's talking about. And while i'm not a fan of the Palin's, I can say I'm most comforted they're not dealing crack on the corner and doing drive by's in the hood! Or in their case, the tundra!
obama/Don't nobody care about being called a racist. That word is so overrated. Who really cares about who is a racist or not. You are not a racist, you are just a stupid as sh-t.
Hey, Chucklehead Yhbua......
Please tell me what exactly was racist in that remark.
This ought to be good....
And woman,
Talk about over-rated. The liberal act of name calling is what is over-rated.
Can't argue the facts.........start name calling.
Thanks for living up to that standard.
Airborn, what do inner cities have to do with Mrs. Obama's family values. She comes from a low muddle class living in a sea of despair called South Side Chicago. Yet her family and her in particular are models of American family values. Give me one incident by which you can deny that.
Obamanation you know damn well what you meant. You imply Mrs Obama has no family values....how so?? Ni-gers are lazy and make welfare babies bubula?
Gee.........let's think.
Maybe it was the time when she said she wasn't proud to be an American until her husband got elected president.
And no, that is NOT what I said.
You are putting words in my mouth.
So maybe you are the one that is the closet racist.
Obamanation you know dam well what you meant when you implied
TRANSLATE this. Oh...I forgot, blacks ain't got no family values? They only value food stamps and making welfare babies??? Go on tell the room what you meant you piece of envious crap. Do you think you had it in you to graduate with honors from Yale and Harvard?? Didn't think so
what a lame explanation...LMAOF! R U questioning her family values or patriotism. I tell you if I were black growing up with the history afflicting my race in America, I would have been more outspoken than Mrs. Obama. She had every right to question the past.
Don't tell me what I meant to imply.
If you want me to translate I will.
The Oblahblah's are as useless as screen doors on a submarine. Their policies are killing America and they have as much moral fiber as a gnat.
But race had nothing to do with it.
So go push your hate speech elsewhere. I'm not buying.
About which? My statement was that I didn't get Obamanations remark to be about Michelle. You did! My statement was about the inner city slums and their family values. And I can give you examples of that every day, all day long. You pick the city!
Yhbua - Mrs. Obama's job at U of C Med Center was to shuttle as many indigent patients away to other hospitals to keep them from costing her hospital money. I don't know what kind of family has values like that, but they wouldn't be good ones.
Airborn, your thinking is flawed. Obamanation is telling you it was about Michele. However he can't produce an atom of proof that she has no family values. He confuses it with patriotism and her husband's policies
kstarr's example is pretty proof positive about her moral fortitude, Yhbua.
She's an empty shell using people like you to elevate her to sainthood.
Sorry.......still not buying it.
Still...I'm waiting for the family values slander. As for the CT hospital read below
Following law school, she was an associate at the Chicago office of the law firm Sidley Austin, where she first met her future husband. At the firm, she worked on marketing and intellectual property.[4] She continues to hold her law license, but as she no longer needs it for her work, it has been on a voluntary inactive status since 1993.[47][48]
In 1991, she held public sector positions in the Chicago city government as an Assistant to the Mayor, and as Assistant Commissioner of Planning and Development. In 1993, she became Executive Director for the Chicago office of Public Allies, a non-profit organization encouraging young people to work on social issues in nonprofit groups and government agencies.[20] She worked there nearly four years and set fundraising records for the organization that still stood 12 years after she left.[18]
In 1996, she served as the Associate Dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago, where she developed the University's Community Service Center.[49] In 2002, she began working for the University of Chicago Hospitals, first as executive director for community affairs and, beginning May 2005, as Vice President for Community and External Affairs.[50] She continued to hold the University of Chicago Hospitals position during the primary campaign, but cut back to part-time in order to spend time with her daughters as well as work for her husband's election;[51] she subsequently took a leave of absence from her job.[52] According to the couple’s 2006 income tax return, her salary was $273,618 from the University of Chicago Hospitals, while her husband had a salary of $157,082 from the United States Senate. The Obamas' total income, however, was $991,296, which included $51,200 she earned as a member of the board of directors of TreeHouse Foods, and investments and royalties from his books.[53]
Um Airborne--is having a teenage daughter pregnant an American value? Palin's son also had to quickly marry because he girlfriend got pregnant. As for dealing drugs, you might want to read up of Palin's ex-mother in law...
Umm bart, do realize how many young kids make the mistake of getting pregnant? Family values are put to the test when the family is put through those kinds of trials. Seem the Palins came out alright on it. No welfare babies and no crack addict kids. What about Faye Palin? You have the scoop on her drug problem? Share it!
Bart Conner
You have the balls to question Palin's kids? Your the Poster Boy for Gay's & you want to say something about some straight kids? You queers will grasp at straws all day long. As long as they are long & slender.
Enma3
Why can't we be concerned over 4 dead American's defending our freedoms as well as a young girl just starting life. I never thought we had to choose one over the other. They all died in a horrible way and deserve to be honored.
We just need to learn to respect each other and try to help each of us over all the hard times that we seem to be having now. Stop the name calling and trying to pit us against each other.
The laughable part of the hate filled conservatives is they would be villifying her just as much if she DIDN'T go.
As long as they can make up any reason to hate they're happy..
Wrong. I'm perfectly fine with her not going. This will be nothing but more firewood for the constitutional rights burning media....
Like I said..........
da-doot-da-de-doot-da-de,doot-doot (circus theme).
The show must go on!
Of course, you're the clown
Coming from someone named Bart Conner, that is probably a compliment.
Keep sucking that Obama juice, and STFU, you moron.
Don't need to suck any juice. Just using common sense and not being glued to FOX.
jac-931625 And....exactly how much will this trip be costing American taxpayers????
By law, the President and First Lady have to travel by Air Force One or Air Force Two. This is for safety. So, her trip to Chicago will probably cost at LEAST $300,000 depending on how long she stays. You have to factor in the cost of fuel for two planes (Some of the Secret Service) will fly in Air Force Two, if she is in Air Force one. If the President is using Air Force One, then she will fly in AF2 and Secret Service in AF3. So you have the cost of two planes flying, the cost to pay the pilots, The expensive foods and drinks on the planes, the cost of all the Secret Service to be with her during the entire trip. Most likely there will be at least 20-30 Secret Service members. Then you have the preparation prior to her even arriving in Chicago. The Secret Service and probably the Chicago Police will have to canvas the area she will be in, and investigate any possible dangers, and scenarios of her being in harms way. The President and First lady can't just jump on any plane and bolt across the country and expect to be save. Everywhere they go, they have Secret Service scoping things out. ALL of this is paid for by you the tax payer. Personally, I think it's nice that she is attending this young lady's funeral, but not necessary. I'm sure a simple call to the mother would have been just as nice. The last thing the family needs is the stress of having to deal with the First Lady being there. It might be nice any other time to meet her, but not during a time of mourning. I wouldn't want any first lady coming to my daughter's funeral. It wouldn't make me feel any better, and it would just add stress knowing she is dragging attention from the media to the funeral. A bad move if you ask me. Nothing personal against the First Lady. I think she should just stay home. Now she will be getting petitions for her to go to every murder victim's funeral in her home town. And there were 500 last year! Over 400 were teenagers! This city has major issues with gun violence and they have some of the strictest gun laws in this country. Proves it doesn't work. More security, and more armed law-abiding citizens is what we need. My dad lived in Mesa Arizona. The crime was getting out of control for many years due to the drug cartels and other riff raff coming up from Mexico. The mayor said he didn't have a problem with open-carry of handguns. Now that people can walk around armed out in the open and not concealed, he said the crime has gone down to almost 0. I know it's hard for some of you to understand why, but it goes like this: The more people who are armed in a city, and out in the open, the less people get hurt or robbed by criminals. If you were a robber would you attempt to rob a house you knew had an armed person inside???? NO! if you are smart. Most people who own guns, follow the laws. You hear about all the bad people shooting up schools and robbing people, but you never hear the media report and instance where a law-abiding citizen saved themselves or another person by being armed. And this happens more often than the randon school and drive by shootings. Happened to me once. I picked up a hitchhiker. He pulled out a knife and said, "listen carefully". Before he made it past the word "Carefully" I pulled out my P22 and he said, "Let me out here". I drove to the police station. I held the man at gunpoint with one hand while calling the police with the other, as to explain my situation so they wouldnt think I was the bad guy since I had a gun to his head. They came out, and I put my weapon away. I don't know what happened to him, but he was arrested. I was questioned for about 20 mins, then let go. The police officers were happy I was armed. He said I could be dead somewhere in a ditch if not. Well, I'm ranting. Sorry! Not all armed people are bad! Once of us just may save your life some day. I hope the First Lady has a safe trip. She may be spending a lot of our tax money, as all presidents do, but I'd rather her be safe.
Do you think maybe this will bring some thought to the black, thug, gang members in Chicago that are making that a place where no one wants to go. I am so sick of people and police being afraid to put the blame on those who are doing this for fear of being called racists or profiling people. These are nothing but a bunch of black thugs who are mad at the world because they are too lazy to go out and get a real job and all they do is get woman pregnant and shoot people and do drugs. Don't try to call me a racist because I have black people living in Chicago who say the same thing. Whites didn't cause these idiots to be like this it is how they prefer to live. And I bet no assault weapon did the killing because these thugs can't easily conceal a rifle and I will bet my life that the gun was illegal and no amount of harassing honest law abiding citizens would have prevented it.
So all black people are bad? What's their thuggery have to do with being black? is it innate?
When whites lived in the slums, whites did the same stuff.
Go back and read what I said. No not all black people are bad but for the portion of population they make up in the US there seems to be higher proportion of bad then good. I know exactly that there are white thugs too but no pussy footing around if you were to do a poll asking who frightens people more and who would be most likely to attack you I would guarantee you it would be black persons. These are facts everyone is too afraid to admit or own up to but they are true for blacks and whites. It always drives me crazy when the blacks get up in arms and complain because the prison populations of blacks is a lot more than others and they wonder why and claim it is discrimination-----DAAAAAAAAA no it is because they commit the majority of crimes. There are reasons why this occurs and some of it goes back on society but most of it falls on your community of not taking responsibility for your own actions and thinking everyone else owes them a living because hundreds of years ago their own people sold them in to slavery.
To all the intelligent people from both sides of the aisle, please don't feed the trolls, it just encourages them.
If I find a post so disgusting it makes me want to throw up, I just scroll down to the next comment. You will never be able to make them change their minds so what is the point.
The mother of all Americans? You are an idiot. This graceful, I mean disgraceful fat azz waited for her husband to be elected to say she was finally proud to be an American. Screw her, her husband and you , you idiot
blah, blah, blah.... You will die forgotten while she lives on in history. SOur grapes for you.
It's a good move for the first lady to attend. I was VERY puzzled however why she did not attend services in Newtown.
Really? I didn't see the /sarc tag. We all know why she didn't go there.
Michelle's going because this girl performed at the inauguration.
If she went to Newtown, how many on here would be accusing her for political grandstanding?? ALL OF YOU.