May 9, 2010 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Chicago mothers who have lost children to violence gathered for a somber event on Mother's Day, supporting each other and calling for an end to the bloodshed.
Those assembled at St. Sabina church on the city's South Side said they also wanted to see an end to the silence that is protecting murderers.
The emotional gathering has become an annual event at St. Sabina.
One mother attending the event was Yolan Henry; her daughter, Nova Henry, and granddaughter became victims of gun violence .
"It's hard to say Happy Mother's Day and really feel happy about it," Yolan Henry said.
It's the same for mother Elizabeth Lopez and her husband. Their son was gunned down last year on April 15.
"As a mother, this is very painful," she said.
"You remember all the good things: his first step, the first time he looks at you and you know he loves you," said Andrew Lopez.
On what is a day of celebration for most, the women at St. Sabina were among a growing sisterhood of grief, sharing the sorrow and hurt of losing a child.
"You don't know what it's like to wake up and not have your child on Mother's Day or any other day," said Maria Ramirez.
The mothers, their families and supporters gathered Sunday at a newly unveiled sculpture dedicated to the memory of their murdered children.
It depicts the taking of a young life. (ABC-WLS)
Sunday, May 9, 2010
PRINCIPAL ARRESTED FOR CHILD LEAVING CHILDREN ALONE
A middle aged Dallas principal was arrested by police this morning after they say she left her 3- and 4-year-old children in a room at the Adolphus hotel while she tried to get into a downtown nightclub.
Carla Westbrook-Spaniel, 44, of Arlington was arrested on two counts of abandoning a child with the intent to return and one count of public intoxication. Westbrook-Spaniel was in the Dallas County Jail on Saturday after her arrest at 1:30 a.m. Bail was set at $30,000.
According to police, Westbrook-Spaniel tried to get into a nightclub in the 1500 block of Main Street early Saturday but was turned away by the bouncer because she didn't meet the dress code. She then tried to push her way past the bouncer to get inside and punched him in the stomach, police Sgt. Warren Mitchell said.
When officers arrived, Westbrook-Spaniel became agitated and wrestled with them, according to a police report. Mitchell said the officers reported that she scratched her cheeks while flailing on the ground.
Officers arrested Westbrook-Spaniel on the public intoxication count after smelling alcohol on her breath, the report said.
In the course of the arrest, the officers learned that Westbrook-Spaniel's children were alone in a room at the Adolphus downtown. Officers who checked on the children found them sleeping naked in bed. After the officers woke them up, the children complained of hunger and the officers got them something to eat.
It was unclear how long the children had been left unattended. Police took custody of them and notified Child Protective Services.
Abandoning a child with the intent to return is a state jail felony. Conviction can draw 180 days to two years in jail and a fine up to $10,000.
According to a short biography on the Fort Worth ISD website, Westbrook-Spaniel has been a principal at J.P. Elder Middle School since 2006. She previously was a special education teacher and principal in the Dallas Independent School District, according to the biography. DISD appointed her principal at Oran M. Roberts Elementary near Fair Park in 1999.
Carla Westbrook-Spaniel, 44, of Arlington was arrested on two counts of abandoning a child with the intent to return and one count of public intoxication. Westbrook-Spaniel was in the Dallas County Jail on Saturday after her arrest at 1:30 a.m. Bail was set at $30,000.
According to police, Westbrook-Spaniel tried to get into a nightclub in the 1500 block of Main Street early Saturday but was turned away by the bouncer because she didn't meet the dress code. She then tried to push her way past the bouncer to get inside and punched him in the stomach, police Sgt. Warren Mitchell said.
When officers arrived, Westbrook-Spaniel became agitated and wrestled with them, according to a police report. Mitchell said the officers reported that she scratched her cheeks while flailing on the ground.
Officers arrested Westbrook-Spaniel on the public intoxication count after smelling alcohol on her breath, the report said.
In the course of the arrest, the officers learned that Westbrook-Spaniel's children were alone in a room at the Adolphus downtown. Officers who checked on the children found them sleeping naked in bed. After the officers woke them up, the children complained of hunger and the officers got them something to eat.
It was unclear how long the children had been left unattended. Police took custody of them and notified Child Protective Services.
Abandoning a child with the intent to return is a state jail felony. Conviction can draw 180 days to two years in jail and a fine up to $10,000.
According to a short biography on the Fort Worth ISD website, Westbrook-Spaniel has been a principal at J.P. Elder Middle School since 2006. She previously was a special education teacher and principal in the Dallas Independent School District, according to the biography. DISD appointed her principal at Oran M. Roberts Elementary near Fair Park in 1999.
TEEN DRAGGED BY SHIRT AND BEATEN...
Cambridge — On April 26, police responded to Willow Street to investigate a teenage boy who was assaulted. When they arrived at 5:08 p.m., an ambulance was treating the 15-year-old for cuts and bruises to his face.
The victim described the suspect as a black male, but could not say more. Witnesses said the victim was “dragged by his shirt” across the street to the park and beaten “wildly,” but could not identify the suspect. Police searched the area briefly to no avail.---http://www.wickedlocal.com/
The victim described the suspect as a black male, but could not say more. Witnesses said the victim was “dragged by his shirt” across the street to the park and beaten “wildly,” but could not identify the suspect. Police searched the area briefly to no avail.---http://www.wickedlocal.com/
TWO TEENAGER'S KILLED AT PARTY DEFENDING FRIEND'S MOM
Two innocent teenagers were killed at a party, both defending a friend's mom.
Quanisha Wright, 16, tried to defend her friend's mother from a gunman's taunts and Marvin Wiggins jumped in front of a bullet to protect another woman from the gunplay, witnesses said.
Marvin Wiggins, 15, died cradled in his father's arms.
"He said 'I'm sorry Pop, I'm holding on.' I said, 'Why you sorry? Just don't go Marvin, breathe," said Marvin Wiggins Sr., 69.
"Then he started gasping," Marvin Wiggins Sr. said. "His eyes went back. I said, 'Please Marvin hold on.' But I didn't hear him say anything then."
Marvin Wiggins Jr. and Quanisha Wright, who had just celebrated her Sweet 16th birthday on Friday, were shot at a party for a one-year-old in an apartment at 1776 Weeks Ave. at about 2 a.m.
A teen who lives upstairs in the five-story building, his father, and a friend were taken into custody and questioned. They had not been charged last night.
A third victim, Tisha Eleazer, 20, aunt of the birthday baby, was hit in the arm.
Witnesses told the Daily News the shooter had been beaten up by party-goers earlier in the evening for touching a young girl. They said he came back to the party mad and armed.
"They can't take a beating - that's why they came back with the gun," one witness said.
When the men returned, they taunted Eleazer's mother, prompting Wright to step up and tell one of the men not to disrespect the older woman, witnesses said.
At that point, another man opened fire. Wright was hit in the torso.
"How could they take my little girl away over nothing?" asked her heartbroken dad, John Barnwell. "She was the sweetest girl. She never hurt a soul."
Wright, a student at the Bronx Leadership Academy, was raised by her grandmother.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/
Quanisha Wright, 16, tried to defend her friend's mother from a gunman's taunts and Marvin Wiggins jumped in front of a bullet to protect another woman from the gunplay, witnesses said.
Marvin Wiggins, 15, died cradled in his father's arms.
"He said 'I'm sorry Pop, I'm holding on.' I said, 'Why you sorry? Just don't go Marvin, breathe," said Marvin Wiggins Sr., 69.
"Then he started gasping," Marvin Wiggins Sr. said. "His eyes went back. I said, 'Please Marvin hold on.' But I didn't hear him say anything then."
Marvin Wiggins Jr. and Quanisha Wright, who had just celebrated her Sweet 16th birthday on Friday, were shot at a party for a one-year-old in an apartment at 1776 Weeks Ave. at about 2 a.m.
A teen who lives upstairs in the five-story building, his father, and a friend were taken into custody and questioned. They had not been charged last night.
A third victim, Tisha Eleazer, 20, aunt of the birthday baby, was hit in the arm.
Witnesses told the Daily News the shooter had been beaten up by party-goers earlier in the evening for touching a young girl. They said he came back to the party mad and armed.
"They can't take a beating - that's why they came back with the gun," one witness said.
When the men returned, they taunted Eleazer's mother, prompting Wright to step up and tell one of the men not to disrespect the older woman, witnesses said.
At that point, another man opened fire. Wright was hit in the torso.
"How could they take my little girl away over nothing?" asked her heartbroken dad, John Barnwell. "She was the sweetest girl. She never hurt a soul."
Wright, a student at the Bronx Leadership Academy, was raised by her grandmother.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/
MOTHER AND DAUGHTER SHOT WHILE SLEEPING
A shooting early Mother's Day left a mother and daughter injured while they were sleeping in an apartment in Kenosha, Wisc.
About 2:30 a.m., a shot was fired into an apartment unit in the 4800 block of 38th Avenue, striking a 10-year-old girl and what is believed to be her 45-year-old mother, according to Kenosha Police Sgt. David Molinaro.
Mother and daughter were asleep together in a bed in the ground-level apartment when a shot from outside pierced the wood siding of the apartment and entered the bedroom, Molinaro said. The bullet hit the girl in her upper leg, went "through-and-through," and exited, striking the mother in her hip, he said.
Neither injuries were life-threatening and the pair were taken to a local hospital for treatment. They are expected to be released later Sunday, Molinaro said.
There were other people in the apartment at the time, but no one else was injured, he said.
Information was not immediately available on whether anyone was in custody or if police were speaking to persons of interest, he said.---http://www.suntimes.com/
About 2:30 a.m., a shot was fired into an apartment unit in the 4800 block of 38th Avenue, striking a 10-year-old girl and what is believed to be her 45-year-old mother, according to Kenosha Police Sgt. David Molinaro.
Mother and daughter were asleep together in a bed in the ground-level apartment when a shot from outside pierced the wood siding of the apartment and entered the bedroom, Molinaro said. The bullet hit the girl in her upper leg, went "through-and-through," and exited, striking the mother in her hip, he said.
Neither injuries were life-threatening and the pair were taken to a local hospital for treatment. They are expected to be released later Sunday, Molinaro said.
There were other people in the apartment at the time, but no one else was injured, he said.
Information was not immediately available on whether anyone was in custody or if police were speaking to persons of interest, he said.---http://www.suntimes.com/
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