By: Sathiyan Sivakumaran
Sadly, innocent people are killed every day, and there is very little that can be done to stop this. There are going to be people who rob others’ of their lives, tear apart families, and disgrace humanity. However, there are occasions when the most innocent of lives are robbed, and these events can pull a community together in response. One 9 year old Chicago child was killed on November 2, 2015, and the response has been appropriate and resounding.
Tyshawn Lee was a 9 year old child walking to his grandmother’s house when he was lured into an alley and shot. Why would someone do this to a child? As the police have investigated, they’ve found resounding evidence that this killing was part of a gang war. Tyshawn Lee’s father, Pierre Stokes, has alleged ties with a gang and the act was performed by a rival gang to send Pierre Stokes’ gang a message. The consensus has been that this is one of the most terrible, senseless, cowardly acts of violence seen in the area.
Killing a child is killing the most innocent kind of human. Tyshawn Lee didn’t deserve to be killed, and his loved ones should not have to feel the pain of his loss. They would most likely tell you that they just wish he could come back, because he had a long life ahead of him. With the killing of a child, you’re taking away that child’s future and even a future that could change the world. Gang violence is expected in big cities especially, but when the violence spills over to the people not participating, a line must be drawn. The community must stand together, regardless of ties to any group, and push back against the “sending a message” killings that truly take innocent lives away. We should honor the death of Tyshawn Lee by learning from it to keep similar tragedies from occurring. There is no better way.