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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Chicago | ||||||
| 4 | police officer Aréanah Preston, who was killed in the line of | ||||||
| 5 | duty on May 6, 2023; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, Aréanah Preston was born on June 7, 1998; she | ||||||
| 7 | attended high school at UIC College Prep; she graduated from | ||||||
| 8 | Illinois State University in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in | ||||||
| 9 | criminal justice and law enforcement administration, where she | ||||||
| 10 | was a member of the National Association of Colored Women's | ||||||
| 11 | Club; she earned a Master of Jurisprudence from the Loyola | ||||||
| 12 | University Chicago School of Law and was set to walk the stage | ||||||
| 13 | on May 13, 2023; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, Aréanah Preston spent three years with the | ||||||
| 15 | Chicago Police Department and was assigned to the 5th | ||||||
| 16 | District, which includes the Roseland, Pullman, West Pullman, | ||||||
| 17 | and Altgeld Gardens communities; and
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| 18 | WHEREAS, Since childhood, Aréanah Preston wanted to be a | ||||||
| 19 | police officer; she was dedicated to making a difference to | ||||||
| 20 | show young people that law enforcement could have a strong | ||||||
| 21 | positive impact in every community; and | ||||||
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| 1 | WHEREAS, After Illinois State University's inaugural | ||||||
| 2 | Social Justice: Trip Through Genocide experience, Aréanah | ||||||
| 3 | Preston was troubled by the underrepresentation of minorities | ||||||
| 4 | in law enforcement and by too many incidents of police | ||||||
| 5 | brutality claiming the lives of unarmed people of color; and | ||||||
| 6 | WHEREAS, Based on what Aréanah Preston experienced on this | ||||||
| 7 | trip, she turned contemplation into action by entering the | ||||||
| 8 | academy for the Chicago Police Department with the goal of | ||||||
| 9 | building trust between law enforcement and underrepresented | ||||||
| 10 | communities; and | ||||||
| 11 | WHEREAS, Aréanah Preston was quoted after this trip, | ||||||
| 12 | saying "I know a big thing for our trip was finding voices for | ||||||
| 13 | those who didn't have a voice. When I got back, I wanted to be | ||||||
| 14 | an officer. I felt like could be a person to fight for justice. | ||||||
| 15 | I wish everyday that I could go back. I had ideas but didn't | ||||||
| 16 | know how to vocalize them. The trip made me a stronger | ||||||
| 17 | person."; and
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| 18 | WHEREAS, Aréanah Preston will be remembered as an | ||||||
| 19 | uplifting, courageous, and intelligent young woman with | ||||||
| 20 | unlimited potential; and | ||||||
| 21 | WHEREAS, Aréanah Preston is survived by her mother, her | ||||||
| 22 | father, her younger twin sisters, and numerous extended family | ||||||
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| 1 | members and friends; therefore, be it
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| 2 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 3 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 4 | we mourn the passing of Chicago police officer Aréanah Preston | ||||||
| 5 | and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and | ||||||
| 6 | all who knew and loved her; and be it further
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| 7 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 8 | presented to the Office of the Governor, the Office of the Lt. | ||||||
| 9 | Governor, the Speaker of the House, the Mayor and Mayor-Elect | ||||||
| 10 | of the City of Chicago, the Chief of the Chicago Police | ||||||
| 11 | Department, and the family of Aréanah Preston as an expression | ||||||
| 12 | of our deepest sympathy.
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