Fatally Beaten Teen Derrion Albert Mourned At Funeral: 'The Eyes Of The World Are Watching'

CHICAGO — The funeral of a Chicago teen who was beaten to death on his way home from school drew civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan on Saturday, both calling for an end to youth violence.

Farrakhan said he came to the funeral because he was "deeply pained" by the death of 16-year-old honor roll student Derrion Albert. The boy was walking to a bus stop after school when a group of teens attacked him during a street fight late last month.

"Naturally, we wonder why such a beautiful life? Such a future we thought was waiting for this young man," Farrakhan said. "This was a special young man of righteous bearing who God took from us so young."

Cell phone video footage shows Albert being kicked and hit with splintered railroad ties. Four teens are charged in his death.

President Barack Obama is sending U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who once led Chicago Public Schools, to Chicago on Wednesday to meet with school officials, students and residents and talk about school violence.

"The eyes of the world are watching," Pastor E.F. Ledbetter Jr. told mourners at the Greater Mount Hebron Baptist Church on the city's South Side. "This has affected people all over the globe."

Mayor Richard Daley, just off a plane Saturday from an International Olympic Committee meeting in Copenhagen where Chicago lost the 2016 Summer Games, said he would work with police, the community and school officials to break the "code of silence" that happens after street violence.

Police, ministers and community leaders have been asking people to come forward with information about Albert's killing.

Story continues below

advertisement

"The code of silence is unacceptable in this day and age where we have young children being killed," Daley said at a news conference at O'Hare International Airport.

Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis and Chicago Public Schools chief Ron Huberman also both attended the funeral along with other city and public officials. Huberman called the Christian Fenger Academy High School sophomore a "bright light."

Jackson demanded children and teens to be given safe passage to and from school.

"Derrion didn't have to die," Jackson said. "He was murdered. His pain, his suffering, his death have shook the world."

As mourners filed into the church, video screens scrolled through pictures of Derrion as a baby and with his family, as well as photos of his academic awards. Some mourners wore T-shirts with Derrion's picture that read "We will always remember you."

The program included a poem Derrion's mother, Janette Albert, wrote to her son titled "May I Go Now?"

"I know you're sad and afraid because I see your tears," she wrote. "I'll not be far. I promise that."

Farrakhan also called for communities to support their youth.

"Let's go get our young people," Farrakhan said. "His righteousness was to serve as a redemptive force to command us to get up and get busy and save our children."

Comments

[whateverlolawants]

This poor boy... what a tragedy.

[DonBlv]

The epidemic killings of young people across the country is a symptom of our failure as a society to care & teach each other to care. We all live this failure: banking, housing & credit crisis...d­on't forget high/rising unemployment. Too many stresses, for too long, we're witnessing our demise from the top down, its been going on for @ least 20yrs from the bottom up...Can't expect more from our children if we don't do better ourselves.

[akrishn3]

continued.­...
Few months back, in Huffpost, I was conversing with a black lady (I think she was a lecturer or some profession­al... do not remember now)...
But after a long debate...w­e came to a conclusion­... telling your young daughters (right from elementary level) NO SEX in your teen years...Fo­lks ,SAFE SEX has not worked it has failed totally . all teh sex-ed and safe sex condom everythign for so amny years have failed..we have so many teen mothers and thier children without fathers...­the pinnacle of irresponsi­bilty... I know lot of people are going to freak out on this "abstinance thing..." but that is th eonly way to prevent children / girls getting pregnant..­. (donot give the crap that children will always have sex.... almost all of the asian kids dont have senx during their teenage years.... they live alright... study alright...­) SEX in teen years in the one of the root cause of irresponsible parenting.­.. and all these problems stem from there....

[whateverlolawants]

You're holding Asian-Americans up as the "model minority", a silly fallacy that fails to take many important factors into consideration. And why are the daughters the ones to be told "no sex"- sons are JUST as involved in those decisions and should be raised with the same mentality as girls. Teens have been having sex since the beginning of time, so your approach is simply UNREALISTIC. It's nice to think none will have sex, but unless you want to create a theocracy, that won't happen. So let's focus on how to raise kids so they know that delaying sex is better (and reasons WHY), and focusing on school is most important. But give them information on safe sex, b/c even if they won't use it right away, a friend might ask them for information. Or maybe they'll decide to have sex no matter what- wouldn't you prefer they not get an STD or a child from that? (Or maybe you do want them to be punished horribly for having sex.)

[whateverlolawants]

Furthermore, the silliness of not giving safe sex info to teens is this: they're almost adults. If you don't tell them when they're 14 or 16, are you going to tell them when they're 18 or 21? Probably not. They deserve to know. Teach them not to have sex all you want. But don't withhold INFORMATION from them. I can't believe that's being upheld as a strategy for preventing pregnancy and disease. And when they're adults, they'll probably have sex- even if it's just with their spouse. And they still will need to know how to prevent pregnancy if they don't want endless children- and furthermore, the importance of not having endless kids unless you truly want them. We've freaking TRIED the "don't have sex, teens" approach and look what we have to show for it.

Finally, LOTS of teens have sex and don't suffer ill consequences, or just have the usually emotional turmoil of a young person... and many of them still focus on school and get good grades and go on to college. GASP! Teen sex doesn't ruin their lives! Especially if they know how to prevent pregnancy and disease!

[akrishn3]

I donot know whether you agree with me or not...the morden day black leaders (jessie and Al..types) and the liberal socialists have created a climate for blacks so that they will never come out of the hole they are living in now.
For everything govt should do this do that give us this thing...it si our "civil right"... entitlement is habit forming...­.Blacks leaders and the socialist type time and agains perpetarate the notion blacks cannot do anything themself unless they are "protected socially".
This leads to borken families..­.. or more correctly, lesser need for a solid family....­"Anyway we are going to get the check / benefits so why I should take care of my children" has set in the black males..... and "Anyway I am getting welfare checks so how it matter whether I have another child I will get more money" has set in black females...­.
Family structure and dependence on both paraents has been replaced by govt dependence and expectaion of entitlement and school should do this school should do that....at­titude...

I am tired of this....Th­is NOT what MLK would have liked to see....
Bill Cosby started to say this... and all these leaders and Dems/libs shut him down....

[JohnRafail]

I would like to see Congress and the President pass laws to end the threat that splintered railroad ties now pose to our country's children by banning them.

[CaliTLC]

Now isn't the time for attempted humor.

[Daniela Vences]

Kids are victims of teen violence all over America... I do not know why people are making it a Chicago issue... this is a problem that affects people from different communities. I think it is stupid to say its a liberal, black, poor or Chicago problem... it is a problem that affects the nation. To use the death of a young man to push your agenda is disgusting.

[Winston120]

This tragedy shows how misdirected priorities are in Chicago and the USA. The Olympics coming or not coming would have not have changed their lot in life one iota.

The mother was able to keep her children out of gangs and become top students. This mother has to be among the bravest and deserving people in this country. If there is a fund established to help her raise her daughter I would contribute; if anyone knows please post.

[edwarvir]

The problem is all of these civil rights leaders and
ministers, come to preach to the Choir every time a child
is hurt or killed. In between that time they do nothing
How about some after school activities for these young people
and some jobs. How abou letting them know we care about
them as people. We are losing a generation.

[sherbug]

Why blame the civil rights leaders, what are you doing to help with the problem?

[whateverlolawants]

Many of them ARE working for those things between these sad funerals. It's just not as newsworthy.

[dans5843]

This makes me so sad for my hometown!

[jessicadevyn]

Hey white people. I think I will get pregnant this year just to piss you guys off.

[Rictracee]

i begining to think it would be best to just set off a bomb on the south side of chicago.. lol.. really if these people cant control their enviroment­.. just blow it up

[jessicadevyn]

The criminals involved are only representative of themselves and not everyone in the community. Maybe the rich Chicagoans could help if they were not so busy sipping their lattes while checking out their iphones.

[sherbug]

No, I think the best place to set off a bomb would be on Wall Street. These thugs took their credit default swaps and killed our retirement funds and the value of our homes.

And then the bomb should be placed underneath you and those of like thinking. That will take care of the bigot brigade.

[Rictracee]

LOL>. thats funny.. well i think they should just go threw the southside of chicago and arrest all those teenage single mothers that just opening their legs up to every man, don't even think about birth control then they have these monsters an put them off on society then want to blame economic desparity as the problem.. IF you can't afford to raise a kid , then don't have any.. its too many ways not to have a kid .. so arrest these mothers and eletricute the hoodlums..

[DomainDiva]

Farrakhan blames God. Must be something wrong with that statement since human beings were arrested for the crime.

[Larjmarj1]

I had this very thought when reading the article. God didn't take this kid, 4 of his peers took his life. As long as they live in a society that condones violence and looks the other way when this kind of thing happens, it will never end.

I've lived in the heart of Detroit before and the culture is that when violence and crime is perpetrated by one of your own the rule is to keep your mouth shut and look the other way. This is the same as acceptance.

[JohnnyWalkerBlueLabel]

Chicago is a shining bastion of liberal, progressive taxation levels and policies. Hand guns are banned, provide free health care through Cook County Stoger Hospital and they have the highest local sales tax in the nation. It's tragic that Chicago youth is being subjected to these ideas, which must be responsible for engenderment of these gang activities.

[jessicadevyn]

If the kids who beat Derrion to death are aware of politics what-so-ever then I am Jesus Christ.

Chicago is a really nice place if you are rich.

[Matt7]

Tasteless, classless, soulless.

Americans have been reduced to taking political snipes at the death of a promising young teen, rather than offering condolences to the family, or doing something to try to stop the physical, emotional and psychological violence that is plaguing this nation, and people the world over.

And you wonder why much of the rest of the world views Americans as monsters. I guess that "ugly American" label from years ago, wasn't warning enough.

I offer prayers for this young man and his family; for the leadership and the people of Chicago and the other violence ridden areas of our nation; and even for my fellow citizens, so blinded by h8red and bigotry that they can't see their own contributions to the demise of our nation's humanity.

Lord, help us all.

[jessicadevyn]

If these kids were aware of anything about politics than I am the reincarnation of Queen Victoria, brainchild.

[whateverlolawants]

Yeah, there are no social ills in red states... oh wait... that's where the divorce rates are higher. Where teen pregnancy rates are higher. Shall I go on?

[LisaO8]

I doubt you can afford JW Blue since your trailer rent is due...who do you think you're fooling?!

[Luvial]

Jim Morrison, "Never been so poor that I couldn't leave town."
Get out of Chicago before it is too late!

[Luvial]

Maybe the Democrats should try to fix their city before trying to fix the world. Why would the Olympics want to be in this city of crime and violence? What arrogance to think Chicago is a suitable site for a global event like the Olympics.

[Tommygun264]

Perhaps you should look up the crime rates and the number of kidnappings of foreign visitors in Rio before you start talking about how bad things are in Chicago. One of the best ways to counteract the influence of gang violence and urban crime is through urban renewal and job creation. The Olympics would have brought an estimated 16.5 BILLION dollars, thousands of jobs and massive investment in urban renewal to the Chicago area. How about you show some respect and empathy for the family of this boy and stop trying to exploit this tragedy for petty political gain?

[jessicadevyn]

You obviously know nothing about the rest of the world outside of your back yard. Rio is one of the most violent cities in the world. You have gangs and the army fighting each other with rocket launcher and machine guns in the streets. (Yes, they use the army against civilians in Brazil).