Gun Violence Victim Hadiya Pendleton’s Mother Appears In New Gun Control Ad
(AllHipHop News) “Tell Congress to support common sense reform so no more innocent children are killed, and no parent has to go through this heartbreak.” Those are the closing words of a new gun control public service announcement narrated by Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton. Cowley-Pendleton is the mother of Hadiya Pendleton, the 15-year-old honor student who was gunned down in Chicago just days after performing with her high school band at President Obama’s second inauguration. Hadiya was shot in a park on the South Side of the city while she and her friends stood under a canopy to get out of the rain. Two suspects were arrested for Hadiya’s murder. Michael Ward, 18, and 20-year-old Kenneth Williams, have been charged by the Chicago Police Department as the shooter and getaway driver in the case. [ALSO READ: Chicago Police Says Gang Involved In Hadiya Pendleton Murder Named After Lil Wayne Lyric] Pendleton’s tragic death become a national story and once again thrust the ongoing violence in the streets of Chicago into mainstream media headlines. While many observers and victims of the gang-related violence in Chicago had been calling on President Obama to weigh in on the war-like death rates happening in his adopted hometown, the President had remain mostly silent on the issue. It was Pendleton’s murder that finally pushed President Obama to comment on the violence in Chicago. He even mentioned Hadiya in his State of the Union Address last week as an example of why new gun control legislation like universal background checks and limiting the amount of ammunition in magazine clips is needed. Cowley-Pendleton and her husband were seated next to First Lady Michelle Obama at the Capitol as President Obama gave a passionate appeal to lawmakers to pass new laws that would help prevent more unnecessary deaths as a result of gun violence. [ALSO READ: 5 Takeaways From President Obama’s State of the Union Address] Hadiya’s mother has fully embraced her new role as a gun control advocate. In the 30-second ad sponsored by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, she promotes the passage of a new federal law for background checks for all gun sales. You can watch the MAIG ad featuring Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton below. [ALSO READ: AllHipHop.com’s Past Coverage of the Violence in Chicago] [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inS6bLjfct0]
Chicago Teen Shot Hours After Obama Visits Chicago High School
(AllHipHop News) President Barack Obama’s speech to the Chicago youth at Hyde Park Career Academy was followed by the death of the sister of one of the students present. Destini Warren’s sister Janay MacFarlane was fatally shot around 11:30 P.M. on February 15th on the 1300 block of Jackson Avenue in the northern suburban while visiting family and friends. [ALSO READ: Five Takeaways From The State Of The Union Address] At the time of her killing, reports state MacFarlane was walking with friends, whom one is suspected at being the original target for the bullet that killed Janay MacFarlane. On February 17th, reported that an 18 year old and 20 year old man were “considered persons of interests” MacFarlane’s distraught mother, Angela Blakely says the 18 year old was on the path to graduating high school this spring and was going to pursue future studies in culinary arts. Blakely also says the teenage homicide victim frequently asked her about the recent homicide of 15 year old Haidya Pendleton prior to her own untimely death: “It’s terrible, it’s terrible the only thing I can remember is my daughter telling me, ‘Mommy, it’s so sad about Hadiya. That makes no sense,’ “ [ALSO READ: Chicago Police Say Gang Involved In Hadiya Pendleton’s Death] Pendleton, who was killed by stray gunfire days after performing at President Obama’s second inauguration, was a major reason for President Obama’s visit to Hyde Park Career Academy. During his speech, the President spoke on the horrendous state of violence in his hometown: “Last year, there were 443 murders with a firearm in this city, and 65 of them were 18 and under. That’s the equivalent of a Newtown every four months.” On Thursday (Feb. 21st), Janay’s family will hold visitation from 4 to 9 p.m. at Gatling’s Chapel. Her funeral has been scheduled for noon Friday(Feb. 22nd) at the Greater Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church. Her body will be buried at Mount Hope Cemetery. North Chicago official claim Janay MacFralane’s death was only the second homicide for the northern suburb in the over 13 months. [ALSO READ: Fixing Chicago’s Teen Murder Culture]
Chicago Police Says Gang Involved In Hadiya Pendleton Murder Named After Lil Wayne Lyric
CHICAGO POLICE SAY SUWU GANG ASSOCIATED WITH HADIYA PENDLETON MURDER IS NAMED AFTER A LIL WAYNE LYRIC!
