Hundreds, Including Michelle Obama, Gather to Say Goodbye to Hadiya Pendleton

[mucifer]

Hundreds of mourners, including a teary Michelle Obama, packed a South Side church Saturday morning to say goodbye to Hadiya Pendleton, the bright 15-year-old whose murder made national headlines when she was gunned down by a gang member last month.

The First Lady was seen walking down at the Greater Harvest Baptist Church shortly after 11 a.m., sat down in the pews and then got up to join Hadiya’s mother in front of the casket, wrapping her arms around the grieving woman. The pair then stood in a five-minute embrace.

http://www.suntimes.com/18117591-761/hundreds-gather-to-say-goodbye-to-hadiya-pendleton.html

This is big news in Chicago. People are rallying around the memory of Hadiya here. Not sure it's being followed nationally. I don't see much about Hadiya Pendleton on DU. But, Chicago really needs help with respect to gun violence. I really hope the background checks go national soon.

[freshwest]

1. Thanks for posting. Such a tragedy on the heels of such joy and hope. Tears in our eyes.

[dkf]

2. They need gang control more than gun control.

I don't understand why they haven't done more by now. Is it so impossible to fix this?

[monmouth3]

3. Michelle could have been thinking about her own girls sitting in that park

if they weren't in Washington. Too sad.

[mucifer]

4. Yeah, she was killed one mile from the Obama's home. nt

[undeterred]

5. I used to live in Chicago - same neighborhood as the Obamas.

This kind of thing happens all the time on the south side of Chicago - you almost get numb to it. But its good to see that people are becoming more aware that gun violence is a problem EVERYWHERE.

[Cha]

6. Beautiful Hadiya.. And, this is from the "National" at the WaPo

Washington Post: First lady Michelle Obama will join some of Illinois’ most recognizable politicians and clergy Saturday to mourn a 15-year-old honor student whose death has drawn attention to staggering gun violence in the nation’s third-largest city.

But Hadiya Pendleton’s family says her Saturday funeral service won’t be about politics, but about remembering a girl who loved to dance, once appeared in an anti-gang video and died just days after performing at one of President Barack Obama’s inauguration events.

None of the dignitaries are slated to speak during the service. The teen’s pastor and brother will talk, and the musical group Pendleton was a member of will perform.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/first-lady-among-guests-at-chicago-teens-funeral-but-family-says-itll-be-about-slain-girl/2013/02/09/4fa46f6a-7290-11e2-b3f3-b263d708ca37_story.html?tid=pm_pop

http://theobamadiary.com/

Thanks mucifer