SECOND ENGLEWOOD GIRL KILLED BY STRAY BULLET IN LITTLE OVER A WEEK

What was intended to be a surprise birthday party for 10-year-old
Siretha White ended with the little girl losing her life and becoming
the second victim of a stray bullet piercing through the front window
of an Englewood home in little more than a week.

Siretha, who lived with her mother, Siretha Woods, in the 6800 block
of South Marshfield Avenue , was attending a party at her aunt's home
on the 2000 block of West 70th Place Saturday night, family members
and police officials told the Defender Sunday.

The party was meant to be for little girls and boys, but many
teen-agers were out on the block during that time, said the Rev.
Carey Gidron, pastor of the Believers Time International Church ,
1421 W. 69th St. The minister is providing prayer and counseling to
the little girl's family, and he said he is helping to make funeral
arrangements.

"It was a big altercation outside, and bullets sprang off and went
into the window," Gidron said. "There was no altercation at the
house. It was some type of altercation outside. There are so many
young people and teen-agers who live on that block.

John Paul Jones, chairman of the Greater Englewood Community and
Family Task Force, said an extra influx of young people might have
come onto the block because they thought Siretha's party might have
been a free party for older kids.

"Word had gotten around that a party was going on at this house,"
Jones said. "Even some of my neighbors went over to this party."

About 8:58 p.m. , the Chicago Police received a 911 emergency call
that shots had been fired into the home and that Siretha had been injured.

"The victim was a 10-year-old female who was attending a birthday
party at the location when shots were fired and a bullet came through
the window where the little girl was standing and struck her," police
spokesman Officer John Mirabelli told the Defender Sunday night.

Siretha was taken to Christ Hospital shortly afterwards where she was
pronounced dead from a fatal gunshot wound, Mirabelli said.

A 30-year-old man, who was on the front porch of the house, suffered
minor injuries from the shots fired, Mirabelli added. He was treated
and released.

A police source, speaking on the condition anonymity Sunday evening,
said a suspect believed to have been the Siretha shooter had been arrested.

Gidron said his understanding was that the police had brought in two
suspects for questioning.

Mirabelli said his Chicago Police New Affairs office had no official
information as to whether a suspect had been apprehended.

"We are speaking to many witnesses, but we don't have any suspects
who has been brought in and charged at this time to my knowledge,"
Mirabelli said. "The person you spoke to may know something different
than we know here at this time."

A white 1980s Cadillac believed to have been used in the crime,
however, was found and impounded, Mirabelli added.

On the porch of the home where Siretha lost her life were several
stuff animals, flowers and several signs. One sign tied around a
stuffed teddy bear simply read "Happy Birthday Nugget."

As an added dose of reality to what has plagued the Englewood
community in the last several days was the front window of the house,
still revealing the entrance hole and shattered glass where the
bullet traveled through and struck the girl.

"She never got a chance to even open her gifts," Jones said. "Two of
my neighbors went to this party. The word got out pretty quickly that
there was a free party, and it was inundated with teenagers and young
adults, and not the 10 year olds and 12 year olds that the party was for.

"My neighbor said she left at that time when she saw that the party
was inundated with adults. Once the adults came, they had their own
arguments, and that is how the shooting came about.

"But my question is why are (little) children that age having parties
at that time? Why didn't they break that party up earlier," Jones
continued. "The residents of that house should be given a citation by
the Chicago police for having a party so late with adolescences there.

"We also got to elevate prayer, so that we can get God to actually
guide us and give us strength to move these issues. Something is
going on (with our young people) and this thing is beyond us."

Jones said he doesn't know why many young people in the Englewood
community are so prone to violence when they have a disagreement or
misunderstanding with one another. He said there should be a more
progressive role from the community and the police force to help
curtail the violence.

The police, for the most part, have been non-responsive in having a
serious dialog with community leaders on how to stop the violence, Jones said.

"Vigilante initiatives are not wise," Jones said. "We recognize,
however, that there is something evil and wicked (out there) that we
need to assemble some productive citizens to fight.

"We also raised the point that we have got to get some accountability
here with the police department and with our elected officials. Our
elected official, Alderman Ted Thomas, has not stepped up to increase
service or attention to this area," Jones said. "We are going to put
Alderman Ted Thomas to the test. He is going to have to perform much
better than he has been performing to save and protect our community.
We are not satisfied at all, and he has been dropping the ball. The
same with the police department. We want a partnership, and we want it now."

Alfred Rogers, a school council member for Harper and Gage Park high
schools in Englewood , said the police should provide the community
with walkie-talkies so that a watchdog group can form and instantly
get into communication with law enforcement.

"The Englewood senior citizens, the retired ones, the ones that stay
at home, we need a device so that we can communicate," Rogers said.
"We don't want to hurt anybody, but we do want to protect the
beautiful children who live in Englewood . Give us a way to
communicate and we will be your spies and eyes for you."

Jim Gierach, a former assistant state attorney for Cook County , rode
a motorcycle and around the Englewood community wearing a leather
vest that read on the back, "Cops Say Legalize Drugs, Ask Me Why."

"I'm out here because they killed another one of our kids," Gierach
said. "And our elected officials, they come and give the same message
they always do. They say down with dope and up with hope.

"It will make no difference. Because it's the war on drugs and the
prohibition of drugs that is attracting kids to the drugs business.
We are putting guns into the hands of kids, because if you're in the
drug business you need a gun to try and protect your drugs, or your
money or you corner. You can't have drug prohibition and save neighborhoods."

Jones said Englewood residents must demand more access to Mayor
Richard M. Daley and other elected local officials.

The fact didn't escape Jones that at Starkesia Reed's funeral on
Wednesday there were very few local, county or state officials in
attendance out of approximately 1,500 people there.

"They weren't there! They weren't there," Jones said. "They are out
of touch with how this impacts our families, and we are going to have
to get to the bottom of this. They are totally out of step with our
collective needs. And leading the charge in this are the conditions
of poverty that have to be tackled."

Siretha's shooting happened barely a mile from the church that held
Starkesia's funeral last week.

Starkesia, a 14-year-old freshman and honor student at Harper was
eating an orange while standing at her living room window on March
3rd when a bullet, allegedly fired from automated weapon by Carail
Weeks, 24, of the 1300 block of west 51st Street, struck the young
girl in the head and killed her. Weeks was charged with first-degree
murder on Friday.