Obituaries
'Tyshawn ... Hear the Cheers of All the Fans,' Priest Shouts at 9 Year Old's Funeral
VIDEO: Father Pfleger introduces Tyshawn Lee as a member of the "team" coached by Emmett Till, to the theme of the Chicago Bulls.
You’ve never heard the Chicago Bulls theme song quite like this before. At 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee’s funeral in St. Sabina Church on Tuesday, the Rev. Michael Pfleger delivered an impassioned sermon to close the funeral, evoking the memories of other slain African Americans — Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, four little girls in Birmingham ... and Chicago’s own Emmett Till, connecting the tragedy of Chicago’s murderous gun violence to current and historical attacks on black lives.
Hundreds of people attended the service on Chicago’s South Side, including actor Nick Cannon and Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
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Lee was shot to death in a South Side alley in a gangland execution, lured there by his father’s alleged gang rivals. The boy loved basketball, and was carrying a basketball when he was shot to death.
The funeral was somber, but also fiery as calls for action, justice and change were made.
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“Nobody has a right to bring up his name without making a change in your block, in your house, in your neighborhood, in your city,” Pfleger said.
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