... the other Black experience
So...nobody's gonna talk about this?
CHICAGO (Sept. 28) – Three teenagers were charged Monday in the beating death of a 16-year-old Chicago honor roll student on his way home from school, a melee captured on a cell phone video that shows a group striking him with boards and kicking him as he lay on a sidewalk.
The death of Derrion Albert, a sophomore at Christian Fenger Academy High School, on Thursday has reignited community outrage over chronic violence involving city students and is putting pressure on school and police officials to address gang problems that often are at the root of such violence. More than 30 students were killed in 2008, according to district figures, and the city could exceed that toll in 2009
But some community members said the solution lies with parents.
"It is our problem. We have to take control of our children," said Dawn Allen, who attended a vigil at the school Monday, where a group of residents tried to force their way into the school before being turned back by police.
Albert was attacked around 3 p.m. Thursday in front of Agape Community Center in the south Chicago neighborhood of Roseland, where he was walking to a bus stop, authorities said.
The violence stemmed from a shooting early Thursday morning involving two groups of students, said Tandra Simonton, a spokeswoman for the Cook County prosecutor's office. When school ended, members of the two groups began fighting.
The attack, captured in part on a bystander's cell phone video, shows Albert being struck on the head by one of several young men wielding wooden planks. After he falls to the ground an appears to try to get up, he is struck again and then kicked.
Prosecutors charged Silvonus Shannon, 19, Eugene Riley, 18, and Eric Carson, 16, with first-degree murder, and they were ordered held without bond on Monday, said Andy Conklin, a spokesman for the Cook County prosecutor's office.
Simonton said Albert was a bystander and not part of either group. She said Albert was knocked unconscious when Carson struck him in the head with a board and the second person punched him in the face. Albert regained consciousness and was trying to get up when he was attacked a second time by five people and was struck in the head with a board by Riley and stomped in the head by Shannon, Simonton said.
Desiyan Bacon, Riley's aunt, attended Monday's vigil at the school and said her nephew didn't have anything to do with the beating and was a friend of the victim.
"They need to stop the crime, but when they do it, they need to get the right person," Bacon said.
Albert's grandfather, Joseph Walker, told the Chicago Tribune that he could not bear to watch the recording. "The graphics are too strong for me," he said. "God bless whoever took that video. It did and said it all."
"It hurt to watch," said LaTonia Williams, the boy's aunt, told the paper. "It's one thing to hear about it and come up with your own theory of what happened. To see it is another thing."
But the family said they didn't mind people watching the video as long as it helps identify the culprits.
Cook County state's attorney's office spokesman Andy Conklin says the teens were charged Monday as adults.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Xombie Panik on -
when I was a kid, people got shot or stabbed to death not beat to death, but I have seen fights like this in certain parts of Chicago since the early nineties...it's nothing new. I think the death was an accident. where I came up on the South East side, and on some parts of the West Side, you can see fights like this every month out of the year...but the whole "TAPE IT FOR YOUTUBE" thing is what's new. the video is probably the only reason it made the news, I'm telling you. this is a safe city, but if you are part of a neighborhood like that you're fair game unless you just keep your mouth shut and keep to yourself all the time.
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Permalink Reply by Cindy on -
People are collectively losing their minds. As a nation we set up the conditions for something like this to happen. God bless his soul and his poor parents. Seems like we dont even need the white folk or the cops to cancel us out anymore we do it ourselves and over such foolishness.
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Permalink Reply by BledOfSilence on -
To all my afro punks brothers and sister. I just created a disscusion. Heres a topic:Why Are So Many Black Children Fatherless?. I think it's a real important discussion, because really sad to see our children living in a situation of not living in a high standard like other children of race.
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Permalink Reply by Eris on -
Maybe, maybe not. Considering that the video was uploaded on YOUTUBE for masses to see, it would not have mattered what GPA this kid had or what group he was assosiated with; his beating death was made avaiable to be seen by millions and that would have raised many alarms.
On another note, I have a theory as to why the fact that this kid's title of being an Honor Roll student was brought up, not just to show the 'differences' between him and the people who attacked him academic-wise. Had this not been mentioned, I'm sure someone would have accused this kid of being a gang-banger too. Why? Because he's black apparenrtly and as we all know, all black young males are GANG-BANGERS. ALL OF THEM. And they deserve to die too. :| The kid who was killed in this incident was innocent but to a lot of folks, they don't see this unless they're TOLD and even then, they believe its just a cover. I've been hit with this sort of mentality recently when a cousin of mine was killed in a botched drive-by. Of course, the headline made the newspapers and the news sites but what sickened me was the fact that there were so many stupid comments by people who assumed my cousin had been in lock up and was a crack head. Why? Because he was black and lived in the more 'troublesome' neighborhoods in the city. It made me burn in anger from reading this because the man had NOT been arrested, was NOT a druggie and had spent most of his life taking care of his mother and when SHE died, he took care of his aunt. Hell, he was at his GIRLFRIEND'S HOUSE making DINNER when he was killed so this is another case of a good man being taken down for hateful and violent reasons.
There are times when you have to just flat out tell people that some of the parties involved were not criminals because of you don't they're going to assume everything negative, even to the innocent party, because they already have a racist view on people as it is.
Madamoiselle De Sade said:Sometimes single mothers do a good job- the outside forces of their environment gets to the kids much quicker and much stronger than anything their mothers could ever do. I've seen so many kids raised in churches and raised well by struggling single mothers grow up to be gangbangers despite their mothers' best efforts. Hell, even kids from two parent homes.
And then when they get killed, mama is left with the heart ache. I've seen it too many times. In my family, way too much.
If the victim had not been an honor student or a "good kid" I doubt this story would have gotten around like it has.
BlackJeff said:
I don't get it, I just don't fucking get it.
Fuck those kids and double fuck those parents for not doing their fucking job. If you have sex you better be goddamned prepared to take proper care of those kids you have. You better wear a goddamned condom or make sure you partner takes precaution.
I'm telling you, fatherless children are at the heart of the problems in the black community. I wonder if these kids father's were living in the same home or at least involved in their life. I wonder if an adult sat these douche bags down and told them why they should never call another Black man 'nigger....' 'nigga' or whatever. I wonder if any adult in their life sat them down and told them that women are not bitches hoes or tricks. I wonder if there were any responsible adult in their life doing anything.
If not...then triple fuck those parents. That's their job and they failed miserably at it. They should serve jail time with their thug progeny!
p.s. it's about time we stop worrying what white people say over the internet
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