16-year-old Killed in Chicago by Gang
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What Happened:
On Sept. 24, 2009, 16-year-old Derrion Albert savagely was beaten to death by a neighborhood gang while walking to a bus stop. Derrion’s assailants beat the Chicago honor-roll student with their fists, feet and wooden boards.
The assault, apparently part of a long-standing turf war between the youth of two Chicago-area neighborhoods, was caught on video by someone with a cell phone. Four teens later were charged with murder, and three more suspects still are being sought.
Though some girls dragged Derrion away after the beating, many of the youths milling in the street did nothing. “A lot of folks died when Derrion died, the ones who were joking and laughing and the ones standing in the street who did not help and rescue him,” said the Rev. E.G. Ledbetter Jr. during Derrion’s funeral.
Talk About It:
Violence, unfortunately, is a part of life in many cities. Often, melees begin for trivial reasons: what someone’s wearing, who someone looks like, where someone comes from. Are there tensions in your school related to neighborhood? Gang affiliation? Cliques?
Have you ever seen a serious fight? What happened? What did you do?
Did you ever try to protect someone who was getting picked on or getting ganged up on? Were you able to help? Was there ever a situation where you wished you would’ve helped someone but didn’t?
What the Bible Says:
“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. …
“But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to be where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal …
“and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back'” (
