15-year-old drum majorette, Hadiya Pendleton’s face is so vibrant in photographs. It is hard to believe the Chicago native, who performed at President Barack Obama’s inauguration festivities, was shot dead last week.
Now police, who are offering a $40,000 reward for information, suggest efforts may be hindered by a “no snitch code.”
According to activists, law enforcement, and clergy officials, residents of the nation’s third-largest city may be hesitant to come forward for fear of being thrust into a national media spotlight and/or jeopardizing their own safety.
“We’ve got a ton of tips,” some of them from gang members, Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said at a news conference Monday. “Nothing at this point has panned out for us.”
He reiterated that a “no snitch code” in the community could be stopping people from providing police with tips.
On the “R.I.P. Hadiya Pendleton” Facebook memorial page, which has more than 30,000 likes, a woman named Stephanie Crowder Malone commented, “wish I knew who it was Id tell for FREE!”
It would help if those who could assist were equally as eager to offer up insights into the case.
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article courtesy of EEWMagazine.com
Watch Hadiya Pendleton’s mother, Cleo Crowley’s heart-breaking interview on Al Sharpton’s PoliticsNation on MSNBC.
