[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 120 (Tuesday, July 22, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1527]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     THE DAILY 45: YOUNG ALONZO ROBERTSON DIES ON VACATION IN D.C.

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                           HON. BOBBY L. RUSH

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 22, 2008

  Mr. RUSH. Madam Speaker, the Department of Justice tells us that, 
every day, 45 people, on average, are fatally shot in the United 
States. Chicago is but one of several American cities that are 
struggling through an escalating wave of gun-related violence this 
summer.
   Last weekend, in a scene reminiscent of a military checkpoint in 
Iraq, police had to cordon off the streets of the Trinidad section of 
Washington, D.C. This was in response to a series of shootings and 
stabbings that left at least 11 people wounded and two people dead. 
Among the gunshot victims was 13-year-old Alonzo Robertson, a young boy 
who was vacationing with family and friends when he was murdered.
   As police continue to investigate Alonzo's senseless death, I not 
only grieve this child's loss but I mourn the violation of a sense of 
community of the people who live in the Trinidad neighborhood. Just 
last month, area residents had to wade through a police checkpoint 
that, for a brief time, stopped the violence.
   Americans of conscience must come together to stop the senseless 
death of ``The Daily 45.'' When will we say `enough is enough, stop the 
killing!'

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