MEMORIAL RESOLUTION HONORING THE LIFE AND MEMORY OF ADAM TOLEDO
WHEREAS, In the early morning hours of March 29, 2021, a tragedy by any measure occurred in the Little Village community when Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old, was shot and killed by a Chicago police officer; and
WHEREAS, Adam was born on May 26, 2007; he was a seventh-grader at Joseph E. Gary Elementary School in Little Village, and is described by those who knew him as a great friend, a kind and funny kid, and a sweet, loving boy; and
WHEREAS, Adam was known as a loving and caring little kid by all who knew him; he was curious, with a big imagination, loved animals, and was always cracking jokes to bring laughter to those around him; and
WHEREAS, Adam particularly loved movie and TV nights at home with his family, whether they were watching SpongeBob, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Ghostbusters, Cars, or Toy Story, he also loved zombie movies and had a backpack ready for a zombie apocalypse; and
WHEREAS, Adam always had a snack with him when he was on the go, and loved McDonalds, arroz cori leche, pizza, raspados, and riding his bike to get an evening frappe; and
WHEREAS, Adam enjoyed listening to music, and would often take over the radio and DJ while his mother was driving to the store;- and
WHEREAS, Like every kid, Adam had many dreams for his future, including wanting to grow up to be a police officer or a celebrity YouTuber - dreams that will never be realized due to his tragic death; and
WHEREAS, While we all rightly demand accountability for Adam's death through an open, transparent, just, and expedient investigation, we also want everyone to remember and celebrate Adam's life as a son, a brother, a student, a neighbor, a friend, and a 13-year-old child whose life was taken much too soon; and
WHEREAS, Words cannot express the grief and sorrow we feel as we remember Adam's life and mourn his tragic death; as a City, we need time to grieve, to mourn, and to heal together, but we also need to reimagine, reinvent, and reform the societal factors and pressures that led to losing one of our sons far too soori; and
WHEREAS, We must remind ourselves that this incident - like far too many others - is a result of policies that continue to fail to serve, protect, and offer opportunities to the young people in our communities; and
WHEREAS, Adam was a victim of the inability of our City to offer our communities of color hope and opportunity; we cannot normalize the killings of our Brown and Black boys or the disinvestment from their communities that starves young people of hope and opportunities to realize their dreams; and
WHEREAS, While it is important to call for peace and unity throughout our City at this time, we must funnel our righteous anger toward persistent and tenacious work in the pursuit of justice; and
WHEREAS, We need to do the work - for Adam, for all of our Brown and Black boys - to reform our police department and commit to substantive, sustained investments in our communities to create real futures for young people of color across our City; and
WHEREAS, While we proactively work to reform, our police department and with an eye toward accountability and justice, we as a City and as a community must focus that same energy into creating an environment where young men of color can excel in school, in the professional world, and in life; by focusing on economic empowerment;and police reform in communities like Adam's, we can create a real foundation for our Brown and Black boys to succeed that promotes life and offers hope, and provides real opportunities; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, gathered here this twenty-first day of April, 2021, do hereby honor the life and memory of Adam Toledo, and commit to doing the work needed to prevent future tragedies by empowering and uplifting our young people of color through meaningful reforms, investment, and opportunities; and
MICHAEL D. RODRIGUEZ Alderman, 22rid Ward
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be prepared and presented to the family of Adam Toledo as a sign of our honor, respect, and deepest condolences.
