The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
February 18, 2013

Obama Talks Gun Violence in Chicago; Sister of Audience Member Slain Hours Later 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 
President Obama returned to his hometown of Chicago on Friday as part of
a post-State of the Union tour. Obama announced the visit in the
aftermath of the killing of Hadiya Pendleton, a Chicago teen shot dead
just days after performing at Obama's 2nd-term inauguration. In his
remarks, Obama said the rate of shooting deaths for young people in
Chicago is equivalent to a Newtown massacre occurring every four months.

President Obama: "There was something profound and uniquely
heartbreaking and tragic, obviously, about a group of 6-year-olds being
killed. But last year, there were 443 murders with a firearm on the
streets of this city, and 65 of those victims were 18 and under. So
that's the equivalent of a Newtown every four months. And that's
precisely why the overwhelming majority of Americans are asking for some
common-sense proposals to make it harder for criminals to get their
hands on a gun."

Four separate shootings were reported in Chicago in the 90 minutes after
Obama's speech. Just hours later, the sister of a teenager who had sat
behind Obama on stage as he appealed for gun control was shot dead. The
victim, Janay Mc Farlane, was 18 years old. She was the mother of a
three-month old boy.

 

.