Full Text of HR1139 95th General Assembly
HR1139 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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HR1139 |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, In this time of extreme violence in the streets of | 3 |
| the City of Chicago, crimes are occurring that have shocked | 4 |
| even the most hardened and desensitized members of the public, | 5 |
| not to mention those who are engaged in law enforcement; and
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| WHEREAS, As we in the legislature are daily confronted with | 7 |
| the monumental task of finding solutions to these horrendous | 8 |
| crimes that seem to become more heinous each day, we in the | 9 |
| government are more aware and dependent on the work effort of | 10 |
| law enforcement; and
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| WHEREAS, On October 31, 2007, last Halloween night, another | 12 |
| murder occurred in the Back of the Yards neighborhood of | 13 |
| Chicago; as we become so accustomed to the increasing crime in | 14 |
| our society, we can sometimes ignore circumstances of | 15 |
| particular criminal acts; in the case of the murder of Leticia | 16 |
| Barrera, we cannot ignore or avoid the heart breaking | 17 |
| circumstances of her death; Leticia, who was celebrating her | 18 |
| 32nd birthday on this Halloween, was shot in the head in front | 19 |
| of her 3 children, ages 6, 4, and 2; sadly, she was also 8 1/2 | 20 |
| months pregnant at the time; and | 21 |
| WHEREAS, Many people witnessed the shooting but several | 22 |
| hesitated to come forward because of their fear of the gangs; |
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| it is becoming more and more apparent after each crime | 2 |
| involving elements of gang activity that witnesses will not | 3 |
| offer information for fear of retaliation and reprisals; and
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| WHEREAS, After months of work by detectives and police and | 5 |
| with the help from the community, the Chicago Police Department | 6 |
| announced a break in the case; Orlando Avila, an 18 year old | 7 |
| and an alleged Latin Saint Gang member, was charged with | 8 |
| Barrera's murder; and | 9 |
| WHEREAS, Although some tips came early in the | 10 |
| investigation, key leads came after officers took to the | 11 |
| streets; Officer Eric Wier displayed a relentless pursuit of | 12 |
| justice in this case by investigating every lead, gaining the | 13 |
| trust of the community, and refusing to let the murder be | 14 |
| forgotten; Detectives Luis Otero and Joaquin Mendoza went block | 15 |
| by block in the neighborhood, even working on their days off, | 16 |
| and worked with residents to identify witnesses; eventually, | 17 |
| those witnesses helped police identify the suspects; and
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| WHEREAS, Through the steadfast police work of Officer Eric | 19 |
| Weir and Detectives Luis Otero and Joaquin Mendoza, and under | 20 |
| the leadership of 9th District Commander Eugene Roy, the crime | 21 |
| was solved and the perpetrator was brought to justice; if not | 22 |
| for these law enforcement professionals, with their energy, | 23 |
| compassion, and unrelenting commitment to bring closure to this |
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| case, the crime would have probably gone unsolved; and | 2 |
| WHEREAS, These three police officers represent the very | 3 |
| best of what the citizens of Chicago could expect from their | 4 |
| police department; these men, having been inspired and driven | 5 |
| by the most unfortunate image of the victim's three young | 6 |
| children, witnessing the homicide while dressed in their | 7 |
| Halloween costumes, can be certain that those images will | 8 |
| forever sustain in their memory and fuel their continued | 9 |
| commitment to their sworn duty and service to the citizens of | 10 |
| Chicago; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 12 |
| NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 13 |
| congratulate, commend, and thank Officer Eric Wier, Detective | 14 |
| Luis Otero, and Detective Joaquin Mendoza for their continuing | 15 |
| zeal for police work and genuine concern for their fellow human | 16 |
| beings in our society; we further offer our sincere condolences | 17 |
| to the family and children of Leticia Barrera, and hope for | 18 |
| their swift recovery from the grief of their horrific loss and | 19 |
| experience; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 21 |
| presented to Officer Eric Wier and Detectives Luis Otero and | 22 |
| Joaquin Mendoza as a symbol of our respect and esteem.
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