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Even if you never met 20-month-old Cynia Cole, the sickening circumstances of her death have to leave your shaking your head.
The Chicago toddler was sitting in a car with her two sisters, Janiya, 4, and Amazing, 8, and their dad when her life was ended by a shot to the head from a gunman who was aiming at the little girl's father, Jerome Hendricks.
A bullet went through the trunk of the car and the back seat of the car, hitting Cynia in the head.
A 21-year-old gang member has since turned himself in to police.
Police said that Hendricks and the accused shooter are members of rival street gangs.
Hendricks said that after his daughter was hit, he drove the stricken child back to his home, where the little girl's grandmother -- a nurse -- applied pressure to the girl's wounds until an ambulance arrived.
It isn't clear why Hendricks didn't drive the girl directly to a hospital.
Police said gang violence has been on the rise on Chicago's South Side. Earlier in the day, 27-year-old Ronald Rosenthal was shot to death on the same block where Cynia was killed.
What is it going to take for the people of Chicago to say they are fed up with the gang violence that rules the city streets? How many toddlers are going to die in this age-old gang war?
Maybe the people of Chicago need to take a lesson from the people of Newark, N.J., who were shocked into action, after a brutal triple slaying in 2007. The people demanded that elected officials take a stand against street violence and several new crime initiatives were launched.
Newark's murder rate and shootings have decreased since the crime crackdown.
It's time for the people of Chicago to have a similar awakening, or the death of Cynia Cole will be in vain.
Comments: (19)
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By: All Winners LOVE Winners on 4/23/2010 1:44PM
When VIOLENCE Is Condoned, things like this will continue to Occur.
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By: Shay on 4/26/2010 11:30AM
You're right. We have to stop acting like violent crimes are no big deal. This tragedy will be in the news for a hot minute and then everybody will forget about it and go back to business as usual. This should be front page news everywhere. This is not how civilized people are supposed to live. The people in Chicago have got to stand up and demand that their elected officials do something about the crime in their city. If we can send soldiers to Iraq and Iran to keep the peace over there then we shold be able to do the same thing here at home.
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By: jeromequigley on 4/23/2010 2:33PM
First this is just plain sad that this sweet little girl lost her life due to her fathers involvement in the "THUG" life!!! He will have to carry around the burden and guilt for the rest of his life that HE caused her death indirectly! But I also find it so hard to believe that I have not seen one story about my home town's resent murders in April?? Cincinnati had like 13 homicides in about a 3week time span. The mayor came out and made a plea for peace and not more than a half hour later and a couple of blocks away another one occured!! Funny thing is, the NAACP Prez of Cincinnati, Mr Smitherman who is always portraying himself as the out spoken voice of the urban community has had NOTHING TO SAY!!! Nothing to the paper, did not show up for the mayors (who is also black) plea! When so far all the murders were of Black victims and most arrested or suspected were also black! Peeps say that it is White's who do not care about black on black crime, But I highly disagree. Most care a great deal, but when they get involved they are told they could never understand the "black life" and to keep their nose out of the Black Commnties business. Yet in Cincy it is the supposed Black leaders like Smitherman who seem to not care one bit about the Black community! I am by no means saying that ALL whites are the caring cause I do live in reality, but if given even a half a chance some peeps would find that there are plenty out there that want to help their city out, regardless if it is a white, black, hispanic or asian community!! We should all stop letting theses supposed money grubing leaders divide us. If peeps bothered talking to one another they would find that we all have many things in common and that could start the bonding process that we need to unite this country again! So this week try striking up a friendship with some one of another color, if it goes bad, then try again next week. And soon you will realize we can get along, but most important MUST get along if we want to continue to be the UNITED STATES!! Peace and Love to all, My prayers goes out to that little angel of a girl as she makes her way to her next and hopefully better life!!!
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By: ADMR on 4/23/2010 4:07PM
The POWER = BETTER...
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By: Mookm988 on 4/24/2010 2:35PM
Thank you,it is the father's fault that his daughter is dead because of his lifestyle. What he was doing away from home finally caught up with him and sadly the baby lost her life but sometimes God allows things to happen in our lives to change us,so hopefully he loved his daughter enough to want to change his ways. The young man that shot her should be commended for having the concious to turn himself in. I can't begin to imagine the pain and guilt that he feels for his actions but then again this could also make him want to change his ways. to him I would say God Bless you and just ask the family (the mother)to forgive you and seek the Lord. There is a reason that God allowed this to happen even though we don't see it neither do the family but it wasn't a mistake in God taking that baby.
You are also right about blacks sometimes not really caring especially the NAACP. I really hate to say this but it's true because they are really very slow in helping anyone except it be to their benefit and I am speaking from personally experience. If it don't get them national headlines,then forget asking for their help and sadly I am starting to agree with the whites about why do they exsist and what is their real purpose. I too have found whites to be so much more carrying in situations and they are sometimes, most of the time (95%) of the time our only hope. I live in a city where there are some of the biggest black churches and when black people are in need they tell them to go to the white churches, yet they will take your tithes and offerings. No person on this earth can make me turn against all whites because they feel like you should because when I need something or someone,the whites have never and I do mean never feel me like blacks or african americans, whatever they want to call themselves.
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By: tatummp1 on 4/28/2010 6:23PM
This is the father fault, he knew that he was into some drama so why would he have the kids with him. As far as that goes he should have never even been aroung those kids with the life he is living. He needs to go to jail also. He has that child's blood on his hands. He will never be able to live with himself and everyday he will wish he had made different choices in his life.
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By: SteveLC on 4/24/2010 1:36PM
My condolence goes out to the mother of the child that was murdered. However, the people that live in those crime ridden US neighborhoods ask and demand that the crime be stopped. But they don't see nothing, know nothing, and will not say nothing when asked by the police in the investigations. All they have to do is make an anonymous phone calls giving the Police any crime activity in their neighborhood, such as drug dealings, prostitution, etc. If they do not take part in making their neighborhoods safe, then they deserve the outcomes.
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By: Smoke155 on 4/24/2010 1:58PM
ILL. Need to activate the National Guard and let the Guard take back control of that city.
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By: Mookm988 on 4/24/2010 2:49PM
Yes they do need to call for the guard because that city seems to be at war and that is what the guard does protect our cities. I hope somebody in authority reads BV and see your comment because it is the answer. My hat is off to you for thinking of an answer that noone has thought of yet.
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By: agnespower on 4/24/2010 2:25PM
Always think before the fact. As a mother, I would never, and I mean never, knowingly allow my child to ride in a vehicle or walk alongside a person who chooses to live the thug life. I would not give a damn if that person was the other parent, or some other blood relative; simply put, that would be a no, no.
I can recall telling my daughter when she was a teenager, "I don't care if you see me talking to someone on the street; it does not mean that you know that person too."
I would then go on to advise her to never accept a ride from that person if that person should ever offer her one. I then explained my reason. Sadly, Janiya's murder was the type of example that I used to give my daughter.
My heart-felt condolences go out to Janiya's family.
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