Michelle Obama Attends Funeral of Chicago Teen Killed in Gang Crossfire

Hadiya Pendleton performed at President Obama's inauguration

First Lady Michelle Obama attended the funeral Saturday of a 15-year-old Chicago girl who performed in the president's inaugural parade last month.

A week after traveling with her school's majorette team to Washington, Hadiya Pendleton was gunned down in a Chicago park, likely a victim caught in the crossfire of a gang fight, police say, the Washington Post reports

White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, the former head of Chicago schools, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, also attended, along with the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Pendleton's death resonated at a time when the nation is debating how to reduce gun violence. Pendleton was among more than 40 people killed in Chicago last month, the Post reports. "There have been so many tragic deaths around the country and oftentimes the individual deaths don't get the attention that maybe an Aurora or a Newtown gets, but the impact it has on the family is just as devastating," Jarrett told the Post. She said Pendleton went to school a mile from the Obama family home.

President Obama did not attend the funeral, but a handwritten note from him to Pendleton's parents was printed on the back of the funeral program.

"Dear Cleopatra and Nathaniel, Michelle and I just wanted you to know how heartbroken we are to have heard about Hadiya's passing. We know that no words from us can soothe the pain, but rest assured that we are praying for you, and that we will continue to work as hard as we can to end this senseless violence. God Bless, Barack Obama."

Via the Washington Post

What's your reaction to Michelle Obama and other dignataries attending Pendleton's funeral?

[CaryNickel]

Attending the funeral was an act of compassion on the part of Michelle Obama, and she is deserving of praise for doing so. Using the event as an opportunity to further a political agenda is disgusting.

[Rocker]

I agree, CaryNickel, you're a good person. As during the Christmas holidays when the elder former President Bush was in the hospital for health issues, there are personal and political differences, and the two should be separated. These 2 people subjects acting on the personal level should not be tinted by political preferences.

[No_Bama]

If the Obamas had any "compassion" for this family whatso ever, then they would've taken care of the problems long in their own town long ago before this even happened. Where was Obama's "compassion" and concern for the safety of the children of Chicago while he was a Senator or the past 4+ years he's been President? Yep, I'm sure that little note he wrote helped a lot in bringing back the child to her grieving parents. Just more gun-grabbing propaganda to shove down the American public's throat.

[Knightkore]

Seriously....this child performed at President Hussein Obama's inauguration....and he couldn't be there? He had to send his wife with a note? I don't care how it would have looked....he should have been there....

[commonsense51]

What you will hear from the left is how that girl was killed with "GUNS"! Not that she was killed by gangs. You never hear Democrats discuss the horrors of gangs and why there are so many of them (BROKEN FAMILIES). Democrats will always refuse to speak to moral issues that create these tragedies. The broken family is our nation's number one problem that affects every aspect our lives. It is bankrupting us, we have thousands of death because of it every year. It is a huge moral issue when people sleep around having sex with one night hook ups never knowing the person, or whether he would be a father to the child they might create. It is total irresponsibility and the children of these people pay the price, growing up feeling abandoned and joining gangs to feel part of some semblance of a family. Our nation is done for if the Democrats do not start addressing the moral breakdown in this nation, created when they decided to separate God from our land. We are seeing the results of a secular Godless nation and it is only going to get worse. Go ahead Liberals tear me apart for dare mentioning God and morals.

[Dan_Tien]

She was killed by a gun. If the gang members had used knives to kill each other she would still be alive. You are entitled to your views about morality (I won't belabor the point that many Hispanic gang members have bodies covered with tattoos of God, Jesus and Mary) but she wasn't killed by any moral failings other than the lack of respect for life and public safety.

[commonsense51]

@Dan_Tien LOLOLOLOLOL, oh it was not a lack of morals when Gangs kill each other and innocent bystanders? It is just lack of respect? WOW, you prove my point how much Liberals fear the very word "MORALS"

[commonsense51]

@Dan_Tien Gang members have tattoos of God on them? Hitler also claimed to be Christian as do the KKK, as do pro Abortionists, etc, etc. Your point? Many people say they believe in God and never make one attempt to live by it's tenants. I could care less what phonies say or do in the name of God. Christianity says we should love our enemies. Nuff said.

[Dan_Tien]

@commonsense51 YeahYeahYeahYeah. Respect for life is an aspect of morality. "Respect gives a positive feeling of esteem or deference for a person or other entity (such as a nation or a religion), and also specific actions and conduct representative of that esteem." Actions and conduct. How reactionaries love to use words without understanding their meanings. Besides, morality is philosophy,not religion.

[Dan_Tien]

@commonsense51 "Many people say they believe in God and never make one attempt to live by it's tenants." What sort of weapon did Jesus carry?

[stepped_in_it]

HMMM....once again "Never let a tragic event go without taking politically advantage of it"
This is a sad...so sad event. But, my question is do we ban guns FIRST or ban gangs FIRST? I lean toward the banning of gangs first.....as I know (see Cali shooting at 2 women) LEO's can't protect.....and are not required to (from what I heard) and only SOME seem to be as bad as the gangs themselves.

[Dan_Tien]

Gang members who commit crimes are already covered by laws that ban their behavior. If you ban "gangs" then how do you define them? Will you deny people their 1st Amendment right to freedom of assembly because members of their gang other than themselves have been convicted of crimes? You could end up banning militias as well, which have protection under the 2nd Amendment.

[stepped_in_it]

@Dan_Tien HMMM....does the term "peaceably to assemble" fit into any of this?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_assem...

[Dan_Tien]

@stepped_in_it Don't get me wrong. I have no love for criminal gangs. I'm just asking how do you ban some groups of people who arm themselves while not banning others?

[stepped_in_it]

@Dan_Tien I know you're know a "banger".
How? Existing laws. Registered (ie...illegal) guns? Guns in the hands of felonies?
To name a few.

[Dan_Tien]

@stepped_in_it Okay, but don't confuse logical solutions with government legislations.

[2b1ask1]

"Never let a tragedy go to waste".....

[HooverNiebold]

Where was she when the 500 other murders that occurred last year in Chicago then?..

[jaybebo84]

@HooverNiebold What about the first 42 murders in Chicago to start off 2013? I give Michelle kudos for showing up for someone they likely meant and talked to briefly. However, this is another shining example of political posturing in the wake of the legislature attempting to pass more gun control.

[Grubby]

And the gun said, I think I will kill a young black girl today, and then it forced that man to pull the trigger...he couldn't help it. What the real lesson of the event is that with the most restrictive gun laws in the country, Chicago still can not curb violence by criminals. All the gun laws do is to restrict law abiding citizens. Another word for those disarmed citizens is "future victims".

[Jack-Black]

I have no issue with her going t the funeral....if they continue to exploit this tragedy further for their political gain then it will be the reprehensible.

[fity]

Barack Obama,Michelle and their ilk don't care enough to dispense with PC prattle and discuss why young blacks kill each other more than any group in America;gun laws notwithstanding. Blaming poverty is an old, tired explanation.

[TGreen]

I'm glad she attended the funeral. I was hoping someone from the Obama administration showed. And the issue goes well beyond "guns". Its the government embarking into family decisions when it comes to disciplining these kids today. Back in the day we didn't have all this crazy unnecessary violence like we do today. And its mostly kids. The parents today are afraid of there kids or are afraid to touch them out of fear of the law. And that's CRAZY! REVAMP THE LAW ALLOW THE PARENTS TO BE PARENTS AGAIN. GOVERNMENT GO GOVERN AND GET OUT OF THE HOMES OF THE PEOPLE.

[ConserveUSA]

Amen! My parents discipline me when I needed it plus I had extended families, which included Coaches, Principals, and My Teachers. My football coach "firm board" of education! I appreciated them and love them. They cared for me. Yes, the violence have got to stop and the government needs to get out of people's homes. Juvenile Judges are becoming too lenient and most Juvenile Facilities are "babysitting centers" instead of rehabilitation.

[FollowTheMoney]

Photo op.

[Jim49418]

She couldnt attend any of the Sandy Hook victims funerals, as that would have interfered with her Hawaii vacation.

[idiot]

only when they have newyork city gun laws will the killing slow down.

[idiot]

Only when they enforce NewYork city gun laws will the killing slowdown.

[wonka45ACP]

So miss Obama when you are finished with your fight against the constitution?? are
you going to continue to publicly support , or show up at all tragedies ..

[No_Bama]

How can we expect clOwnbama to oversee gun volence control in this country when he and his stooge Rom can't even control it in his own town?

[Hireman]

While its a legitimate point that Mrs. Obama's presence was a passive-aggressive political move, it's also legitimate she also came out of sorrow. The other pols in attendance... I can't give them the same fair observation.

[Vance1]

This happened because of people like anti gun , social justice radical Michelle Obama and others!!!

[waldorick]

　　You know I don't really care to hear all you little-whining-but-republicans who can't get over Obama's winnings - and this is not the place for that.
　　Imagine if that was your child, or don't little-whining-butt-republican s have children!!!
　　Get a life people!!
　　And leave these grieving family's alone!!

[Real4WheelDrv]

and what makes her more important than all the other innocent bystanders that get killed every day, nothing except that she was chosen to perform for the president. If she hadn't she'd be just another name in the obit section.

[waldorick]

@Real4WheelDrv no one said she was more important, but she was at the inauguration.

[Real4WheelDrv]

@waldorick Exactly my point, we saw no glimpse of mr. or Mrs. Obama at the sandy hook funerals, an event which PERSONALLY affected far more people. So why the favoritism? No one is saying it's a GOOD thong this girl died, so saying "leave the family alone" is off base.

[waldorick]

@Real4WheelDrv 　　Well let me ask you this. If some attended an event any event in your honor and that person was shot a day or so latter what would you do? Would you go to that person's funeral out of respect or just tell them to kiss-your-a##.

[waldorick]

@Real4WheelDrv 　　I think that I would go to that person's funeral, and not really sure that didn't pay their respects in the Sandy Hook incident. One things for sure Obama want's tougher gun laws. What's wrong with that? Anything to save someone's life. Even one life!

[texas_cutie75]

It is tragic that this child was was taken from this world. My heart aches for her family. She had a gift, a voice that many people wish they could have. It is inappropriate for anyone to exploit this tragedy. ANYONE

[Brownie]

I'm glad she showed up.

[MadAmerican]

Just another sickening way the obama administration is using children as a back drop for gun control. I'll bet a year's salary that if this girl had been killed by a drunk driver she wouldn't have even blinked an eye to it.

[waldorick]

　　I don't think it matter how she was killed Sr. And they didn't plain any shooting of any kind. Because of events, they think we need to change law to help save life's. Mainly Children's life's!!

[waldorick]

　　　ãDuring the Civil Way, every time someone would fire a muskit they would need to reload, and several lost their life's because of this. Today we have guns that fire 10 rounds plus, and the more the rounds that more chances you're next. However, if they had only 6 rounds; then when they were reloading you might be able to get away; several people might be able to push them down in a raid; you might throw a book at them or a desk or anything to get them down. Give them all the rounds and all the guns ,with no restriction to buy them, all being able to fire 10 plus rounds and your dead end of story.
　　
　　

[NTBFW]

@waldorick no.