Shirley Chambers Buries 4th Child Dead from Gun Violence
54 year-old Shirley Chambers never expected to outlive all four of her children.
On January 26th, her fourth child – 33 year-old Ronnie Chambers – was shot to death while sitting in a parked car.
Since the start of 2013, Chicago has already seen 147 shootings and 42 murders.
According to the Grio, Chambers was a reformed gang member and aspiring music producer; and a mentor to a young Chicago rapper named YK.
In December, Chambers’ son appeared on The Ricki Lake Show and shared his tumultuous past, and how he’s instilling a sense of hope and success into YK.
“I’m just trying to keep him on the right track,” Ronnie Chambers said in the appearance, as shown on the show’s YouTube channel. “He’s got unbelievable talent.”
In the same appearance, Ronnie Chambers said after his siblings died, he wanted to protect his mother and make her proud.
“I was so proud of him. I saw that he was doing some good things and I was really proud,” Chambers said she thought when she saw her son on television.
Such a terrible tragedy.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Chambers family.
The epidemic of violence in Chicago is a crisis that demands national attention; and particularly the attention of our President.
The Black Youth Project has launched a petition, asking that President Obama come to Chicago and deliver a major speech that addresses gun violence in Black and Latino communities.
This speech must layout specific policies on how the current administration and the country will work to save the lives and improve the futures of Black and Latino youth.
We know that President Obama cannot solve the issue of gun violence alone. However, he can call the nation to consciousness about the need for a response to this crisis.