After meeting with two former Chicago gang leaders to discuss the murder of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee, Congressman Bobby Rush questioned the origin of the hate and violence that led to Tyshawn's death.
On the same day as Tyshawn's funeral at St. Sabina Church, Rush spoke about the meeting, saying the inmates, who were in rival gangs, were "very upset" by Tyshawn's murder.
"They are very, very upset with those who are killing in our communities today, these young people," Rush said. "They want it to stop. They are committed to doing everything that they can, given their circumstances, to stop this violence, to bring an end to this violence. ... They called it madness."
Tyshawn was gunned down in an alleyway in the Gresham neighborhood on Nov. 2 after he was lured from a nearby park and shot multiple times in the head and back, police said. Police Supt. Garry McCarthy described Tyshawn's death as the most "abhorrent, cowardly, unfathomable crime" he has witnessed in 35 years of policing.
McCarthy, who claimed the boy's father has gang ties and is not cooperating in the investigation, said police have identified the two gangs and people allegedly involved in the shooting, but he can't prove "who did what."
Rush asked Tuesday where the motivation to commit murders like these come from, saying that the two gang leaders did not condone it.
"If they are walking hand-in-hand as brothers, then where is all this mayhem and murder coming from?" Rush said. "Because these two brothers... they're walking arm-in-arm, shoulder-to-shoulder, and they're committed. They said they're committed to doing all that they can to stop this violence in Chicago and across the nation. They condemn it. It's not of them."
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Rush blamed Facebook, in part, for recent acts of violence in Chicago, calling the social media site a ‘convenient conduit for… messages of hate.’ He said offenders are using the social media tool to communicate and coordinate shootings.
Before the end of the day, Rush promised to be in touch with officials at Facebook to see how they can help stop the spread of hate and violence.
