Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday that the beating death of a 16-year-old Derrion Albert was a “stark wake-up call” to the nation to confront youth violence.
Holder and Education Secretary Arne Duncan were sent by President Barack Obama to Chicago to meet with school officials, parents and students to discuss youth violence after the vicious beating of Derrion Albert on Sept. 24. The fatal attack was captured on a cell phone video, and viewed by millions across the nation.
The scenes in the video “left an indelible mark on the mind of every American who has seen them,” Holder said.
He said the video was a “stark wake-up call to a reality that can be easy for too many to ignore as they go about their daily lives.”
Holder called for a “comprehensive, coordinated approach” to teen violence involving not just law enforcement but also local religious organizations, businesses and social service groups.
Albert, an honor roll student at Christian Fenger Academy High School, was attacked when he got caught up in a mob of teens about six block from school on the city’s South Side. Video shows him curled up on the sidewalk, as fellow teens kick him and hit him with splintered railroad ties. So far, four teens have been charged in his death.
I am a parent of three Chicago Public School students and I too am frightened by the beating video.
I would like to suggest that all (including me) march in the streets of Chicago each and every day and night if you work days, until we take our streets, churches, and schools back!
Email when it is time or call me to start the march!!!