Tonight, the family of Adam Toledo, almost a year after a police officer in Little Village killed him, learned that the Cook County State’s Attorney would not bring criminal charges against the officer.
The afternoon was marked by gatherings and protests that were not limited to its communal boundaries while centered in Little Village. Tears soaked rooms in homes affected by violence, death, and social ills containing, but not limited to, Police Brutality. The anguish felt in the air was building on the despair that permeates through Chicago’s Black and Latino communities. On this, the 74th day of 2022 (March 15), the total number of those whose mortal existence was extinguished by gun violence sits at 102.
Tonight, signs are held condemning the police for killing a child of 13 years old; The youngest individual killed by police in Chicago in years. Those who represent the judicial system claim that the “facts” of the case deem the officer’s actions justified. While Adam did not have a pistol in his position when he was fatally shot, a pistol was found allegedly tossed by him in the alley where his youth transcended into both a symbol and a statistic.
Tonight, our community raises its fist in the air with anger. Change is demanded. Justice is demanded. But neither are offered to the families whose children are killed by others in the community who are not the police and who do not find crowds with signs standing before them.
Our community should not be made to feel as though we are expendable. Not by politicians. Not by the police. Not by each other. Not by anyone.
Dr. William “King Mission” Ross
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-chicago-homicides-data-tracker-htmlstory.html