Zion, IL, is a small, struggling city of about 25,000 people located on the shores of Lake Michigan about 40 miles north of Chicago but on the other side of the planet compared to the affluent suburbs usually associated with the term “North Shore.” Most people in Chicago have never been to Zion and, if they know anything about it, it’s the fact that a nuclear power plant built there in the late 1970s was shut down in the late 1990s. That plant is still being dismantled and was the site of a small fire just a few years ago. But it posed “no danger to the local population,” the authorities said.
On April 4, 2015, 17-year-old Justus Howell was visiting friends in Zion, where he’d gone to school before moving with his family to a nearby city. And it was there that he was shot in the back as he ran from Zion police, two bullets ripping through his young body and his mother’s and grandmother’s heart. And that was just the beginning.
Police let it be known that Justus had a gun, but he didn’t. They painted him and his friends as a gang, but they weren’t. And then the local prosecutor ruled his murder “justifiable homicide,” but it wasn’t. His mother, LaToya Howell, and grandmother, Alice Howell, have not stopped fighting for justice for Justus. Some of us in World Can’t Wait met them at the protest in May 2015 when the prosecutor added to their pain and loss by refusing to prosecute the cop who murdered Justus. We hosted a fund raiser with LaToya to fund the family’s travel to New York for Rise Up October, where LaToya gave a passionate speech to thousands, pointing out that this could happen to anyone’s child and calling on all of us to fight for justice, to not give up until police murder stops.
Now, as the first anniversary of Justus’ murder is approaching, the Howell family is organizing a rally at the site of his murder in Zion at 2 pm on Monday, April 4, and a banquet that evening to honor his life. World Can’t Wait is participating in both events. Invited guests include Airickca Gordon-Taylor, the cousin of Emmett Till, who also spoke at Rise Up October in New York; Mertilla Jones, grandmother of Aiyana Stanley Jones, a child murdered by Detroit police invading the “wrong home;” Janet Cooksey, mother of Quintonio Legrier, murdered by Chicago police the day after Christmas 2015; Andrea Irwin, mother of Tony Robinson, a teenager murdered by Madison, WI police; Gloria Pinex, mother of Darius Pinex, murdered by Chicago police during an unjustified stop, and other family members. All of these people continue to fight for justice and inspire thousands with their courage in the face of such loss and the attacks of the police, the prosecutors, and the media against them and their families.
These events require funds, so World Can’t Wait again sponsored a fund raising event to support these ambitious and inspiring plans. We gathered on March 23, and Alice and LaToya shared a lot of pain, heart, and strength with us. Why is World Can’t Wait involved in this struggle? Here’s what one WCW activist said in soliciting funds that evening:
“What is happening in the world right now? Police murdering teenagers with impunity; a billionaire fascist demonizing anyone who would speak out against this murder, inciting his followers to physically attack people; a government that continues to slap a happy face on while gunning down innocent men, women and children from remote-piloted robots in the sky all over the Middle East and South Asia; people waking up to this nightmare and starting to rub their eyes in amazement at how bad it really is. World Can’t Wait has been around since 2005, formed to Drive Out the Bush Regime. We didn’t drive them out, and the world is worse for that. But we know that Black lives matter and that American lives are NOT more important than anyone else’s. So we’re not going to shut up.
“We are so glad to be able to hear from the brave family members of Justus Howell tonight because we know how important it is in the midst of all the crazy things happening in the world right now for people to stand up for justice and be strong. This family continues to inspire people around the country with their determination. Without them, refusing to back down, cases like Justus’ would be swept under the rug, people would be silenced and we would never have a chance at getting justice in these cases, or a chance at a better world where these murders do not happen any more.
“Tonight’s event is intended to build towards the rally, march and dinner on April 4 in Zion. The broader community needs to be challenged to come together and support the family and support this movement for justice. That’s what we’re doing tonight.”
There was a lot of good discussion that evening about what it’s going to take to get justice (everything was on the table: lawsuits, protesting, revolution). The family talked about how they have been fighting, the repression they have faced and the attacks that have come down on them and people who have supported them. This only underscored again the important role that family members play in humanizing the people this system works overtime to demonize after it murders them and in exposing the realities of both police terror and the whole edifice of INjustice that comes down on them when they refuse to accept that terror.
We raised over $400 in donations, and several people bought tickets for the banquet, but much more is needed. A short video was made of Alice and LaToya inviting everyone to join them on April 4 and World Can’t Wait will be building and participating in those events.
Justus Howell’s fam calls on YOU to join them & many more families on 4/3-4/4 in Zion. More: https://t.co/OU8i55TUXQ pic.twitter.com/TuCtcMBSNn
— Chicago WCW (@ChicagoWCW) March 25, 2016
Sunday:
8 am Prayer Service & Breakfast
First Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church
1529 Elizabeth Ave.
North Chicago, IL 60064
5 pm Healing Action
State Beach Resort
One Lake Front Drive
Zion, IL 60099
Monday:
2 pm Justus Howell Memorial Rally
24th & Galilee Street
Zion, IL
6 pm “For A Brighter Tomorrow Banquet”
State Beach Resort (Grand Ballroom)
One Lake Front Drive
Zion, IL
8:30 pm – Midnight
Celebration of Life Honoring Justus Howell
Facebook event
How can you help?
1. COME to Zion this Sunday and Monday.
2. SHARE this video about this historic gathering of Stolen Lives family members with your friends and family.
3. SUPPORT the Howell family in organizing these events. Donate to their organization FOCUS. Make your check out to FOCUS, and send to FOCUS: P.O. Box 345, Waukegan, IL 60079.