Gun Violence 258
Christine Whitaker, 56, cherished her daughters after rebuilding her life
After becoming a single mother at 20, Christine Yvette Whitaker lived a busy, vibrant life with her daughters in tow. No matter where she went, you saw her with her first daughter, Nashay, and her second daughter, Chikeena, who soon followed. Even though Chrissy was determined to do the best she could for her two […]
Nicolas Elizalde, 14, comic book artist, animal lover and Barry Fan-ilow
Nicolas Elizalde packed a lot of life into the 14 years he was here. A kind, gentle, deeply compassionate boy, he was the kind of empathetic soul people were drawn to. Even animals couldn’t keep themselves away. “Each night I tucked Nick into bed, animals would come near his window,” said his mother, Meredith, her […]
Audrey Rhoads, 25, a home health aide and mother of two
In October 2017, Audrey Labrie Rhoads’ mother Lavonne passed away, and it hit the family hard. Audrey, who went by the nickname Brie, had been attending grief therapy and was starting to feel a little better. But now, her family’s grief is compounded. Brie and her fiance Raheem Brown were shot and killed July 8, […]
Tahmir “SBM” Hightower, 18, emerging rapper who was about to have a daughter
When he first got the call that his girlfriend was pregnant, Tahmir Hightower was nonchalant, says his girlfriend, Tanae Dorsey. But by the time she arrived back to his house later that night, he was smiling from ear to ear. “I’m going to be a father!” Tanae recalls. “I want a girl and I’m going […]
Henry Peterson Jr., 26, truck driver and ‘a real family man’
Henry J. Peterson Jr. loved to drive. He was usually the one behind the wheel whenever his family went anywhere together, and he never seemed to get tired of the road. In fact, he enjoyed driving so much that he turned it into a career. Henry’s father was a truck driver, and when Henry was […]
Zymiren Best, 19, outgoing guy who wanted to be a welder
Zymiren Best had a special yet unexplainable nickname for his mother: Slime. “Out of the blue, he’d text me, ‘What’s up with you, Slime? Cash App me ten dollars,” Bianca Best remembered with a smile in her voice. It’s the little, everyday things like this that she misses most. Zymiren was a senior at Camelot […]
Eric Robinson, 27, Consummate Caregiver Who Was Saving for the Future
Eric Robinson was nicknamed “Wrecker Hess” as a kid because he barreled through his grandmother’s bedroom like a Hess Truck. He would emerge stomping around in her size 12 high heels, a silky nightgown slipping off his shoulders, wearing underwear on his head like a fashionable bonnet. “Look, Nana!” he announced. Navella Bassette would bust […]
Ramir Parrish, 21, ‘protector of the family’ who had daughter on the way
Like almost any young father, Ramir Parrish was scared before his son Hakeem was born, but it came easy to him. As he grew, they would play video games with Ramir’s brother, Syncere, who was the same age. Also known by his rap name ChuckyPnb, he also was teaching the boys how to rap like […]
Christopher Davis, 35, jokester who struggled with loss
Everyone in the family knew that Christopher Davis was his grandmother’s favorite. Christopher was Cloieand McDaniel’s first grandson and she raised him on East Stafford Street in Germantown, along with his three younger sisters. Christopher’s cousin and aunt also shared the three-bedroom home. “He could do no wrong in her eyes,” his sister, Ericka Charles, […]
Izim Greer-Plummer, 19, community protector who ’embodied family values’
Lucretia Greer believes in the power of forgiveness. It has been 15 years since the tragic murder of her brother, Izim Kareem Greer-Plummer. Though she still gets choked up when she mentions Izim’s name, she has a message to any young man boiling over with rage: Stop and think before grabbing a gun. This is […]
Amir Parks, 22, new dad who loved making people laugh
When Amir Khalid Parks was little, he learned how to do the Harlem Shake, but he was too shy to perform the dance in front of anyone. “We’d say, ‘Mir Mir, let me see the Harlem Shake,’ and he would laugh and say no, but if you told him you were going to give him […]
Juan Carlos Robles-Corana Jr., 15, charismatic go-getter who was determined to create wealth for his family
Before he even learned how to walk, Juan Carlos Robles-Corona Jr. would shake his chubby baby body to the beat. As a toddler, he would stop cold in the middle of the street and start dancing to blaring music from a passing car. “Whatever rhythm he had, he wanted to make sure that he was […]
Levan Kennedy, 18, gifted wordsmith who had a thirst for knowledge
“I get fly like Peter Pan. But I’m not from Neverland. I’m from Philly you can die in here if you don’t got a plan”-Levan Kennedy Levan Colin Kennedy had too many plans to accomplish in one lifetime. He set his sights on rapping and producing music, owning a solar-powered vending machine business, buying a […]
Charles Campbell Jr., 31, father of five who bent over backwards for his kids
Charles Campbell Jr. lavished attention on his four daughters and baby son. Even though some of his children had different mothers, he made sure to gather them together as one family, booking hotel rooms multiple times a year so that they could order room service, go swimming, and pick out toys at Five Below. After […]
Craig Hatchett Jr., 37, incognito poet and devoted caregiver
“F.E.A.R. has two meanings…face everything and run, or face everything and rise.” “Fake friends are like four (4) quarters, they change for a dollar.” “Death is most likely the single best invention of life. It is life’s change agent, [it] clears out the old to make way for the new!” These were some of Craig […]
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