Mothers of murdered children seek closure, justice

Launch a movement to reduce unsolved murders

By Chinta Strausberg

In memory of their 18-year-old son, Terrell, Tom and Pamela Bosley held a press conference Friday, April 4, 2014; to remember their son’s murder eight-years ago to the day and to announce they have begun a movement to reduce the number of unsolved murder cases in Chicago.

At a press conference held outside of The Lights of Zion Ministries Church, 11636 So. Halsted where her son was killed and flanked by a number of other parents who also lost their children to gun violence, Pamela Bosley said she wants closure and announced they have launched a movement that includes working with police to reduce these unsolved murders.

Referring to Police Supt. Garry McCarthy who says crime is at its lowest since 1958, Mrs. Bosley, who stood where her son was killed on April 4, 2006, said, “The unsolved cases remain the same.” She wants closure of her son’s case as well as other parents who have lost their children to gun violence. “I want this part of my life to end,” she said calling for people to come forward with any information.

She made her comments on April 4^th a date she said is the same death date as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who was assassinated 46-years ago. Like Dr. King,  Mrs. Bosley said, “I believe truly in my heart that God has put me in a place to put action behind justice for our children.”

Joining the Bosley’s was Father Michael L. Pfleger, whose son, Jarvis Franklin, 17, was killed on May 30, 1998. His cold case also remains unsolved. Referring to King’s being gunned down 46-years ago and Terrell Bosley’s 8-years ago, Pfleger said, in just a week 33 people have been shot and 5 killed.

“So while violence is down, we have a long way to go in Chicago, and one of the pieces of ending violence in Chicago is sending a clear message you cannot shoot and kill our kids and go back home, put your feet up and watch TV like nothing is wrong,” said Father Pfleger. “We’ve got to be able to be enraged as a community, as a city. We’ve got to do away with the name cold cases. There is no such thing as a cold case until it is solved.”

Pfleger added, “We’ve got to make sure the police don’t get tired of it, and we’ve got to make sure the community doesn’t get tired of it. The community has to speak up. In every crime, there are countless people who know. Stop being afraid. Stop being immune. See the faces of these children like Terrell who have been killed and let your conscious convict you to say something….

“We ask the police don’t get tired. We ask the community not to get silent. We ask everybody to work harder until there are no statistics to report and every case gets solve. When there is a consequence, people will think twice about shooting,” Pfleger told reporters.

Challenging people to be present on their blocks, Pfleger urged parents to “put your arms around them, love them, but draw a very clear line that if you are a terrorist in the community, you shoot and kill our children, you are not welcomed…. We’re going to turn them in…. When we become silent, we become co-conspirators of that murder….”

When told that many people are afraid to tell, Pfleger said they can call him at: 773.483.4300 or tell their own pastors.

Vance Henry from the mayor’s office called for passage of commonsense laws. Referring to a few warm days, Henry said gun violence increased. While he said the police department collects more guns than other police department in the nation, he said last year they recovered 7,000 firearms.

“Between September 2007 and December 2008, 508 Chicago Public School students were the victims of shootings…nearly 32 students a month. In 2012, 24 CPS students were killed and another 319 were wounded by gunfire,” said Henry.

“It’s about preserving life, not the profit of gun manufacturers,” Henry said. “It’s about protecting the interest of innocent lives of children and not special interests….”  Mrs. Bosley focused on the unsolved murders.

Asking those parents who lost their children and whose cases remain unsolved to raise their hand, Mrs. Bosley said 70 percent of murder cases remain unsolved.  In an effort to find the killers of their children, she said they go into the community along passing out flyers like the $5,000 reward flyer of her son.

Calling for unity in her mission to reduce the number of unsolved murders, Mrs. Bosley wants the parents to work together. “We can start a movement just like Dr. King…Nelson Mandela…Rosa Parks. Whenever you get mad and angry, you start a movement.”

Like other years when she awakens on April 4^th, her son’s death date, Mrs. Bosley said she’s always sad but not this year. “I was angry…tired…upset that Terrell’s case is not solved. I cannot sit back and let Terrell’s case remain unsolved…. It’s got to happen this year.”

That is why she asked all of the parents who lost their children to gun violence to join a “justice movement and we stop this…and take the community back…just like the police department when somebody is killed they go into the community and shut it down. We can do the same thing for our children as long as we stand together we can make it happen. We can change it,” Mrs. Bosley said. Her goal for 2014 is to reduce the number of unsolved murder cases.

Calling it a “bitter/sweet day” not only for his family but for others whose children were victims of gun violence, Mr. Bosley  said, “We can’t forget our loved ones, and we can’t allow the community to forget and we have to partnership and end this code of silence so that these families can have some sort of peace.”

Mr. Bosley said the partnership would include the parents, the police department, citizens and the faith based community to help end the code of silence “so that the perpetrators of these crimes can be caught.” He said, “This is a movement” that will work with the police.

Annette Nance-Holt, a member of Purpose Over Pain, a group of parents who lost their children to gun violence and whose son Blair Holt was killed on May 10, 2007, stood in solidarity with the other parents whose cases remain unsolved. “My case was solved because there was video,” Nance-Holt said referring to the 100-year sentence of her son’s killer, Michael “Mario” Pace, 18.

“The community can stop being partners with the criminals and start reporting what is going on in the community,” Nance-Holt said. Saying there are only a few are killing, she asked, churches, the community…everyone speak up so that “children can be children again.”

Maria Ramirez, who lost her only child, a son to gun violence nearly 8 years ago, said she was “devastated” at her son’s death. “We won’t stop until who ever did this gets turned in…. We’re not going to go away. Just turn the people in.”

Community activist Andrew Holmes asked those parents whose cases remain to hold up their pictures. “Those are the many faces that are still crying out for some justice…. You can’t keep pointing the finger at the police, the mayor and the governor. You have to look in the mirror at yourself inside of your home and see which one of your relatives, one of your family members are destroying our community….”

Saying no one knows how many people shooters have killed, Holmes said all people have to do is to report the crimes and “not worry about snitches get stitches…. Just report the crime. We can shot the shooting” by reporting them.

Leonard Evans from Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart’s office said, “It is not a single individual problem. It’s all of our problems.” Billy Dyson, an aide to Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White also came in support of the family. “There is nothing wrong with telling…,” he said. “You don’t have to be known as a stool pigeon. It’s just commonsense…just helping to solve a crime.”

Mrs. Bosely said, there will be “no justice, no peace” until these cases have been solved. “I’m pleading with you for closure.”

One of the last people to have seen the Bosley’s son was Rev. Charles Mickens, pastor of The Lights of Zion Ministries Church. He said Terrell Bosley had just finished practicing in the sound room. “He was our bass guitar player. He had been here for two-hours. He came out to get some more instruments out of the car and that is when it happened.”

There is a $5,000 reward being offered by the Faith Community of Saint Sabina for information leading to the arrest of the murderer of Terrell Bosley.

Chinta Strausberg is a Journalist of more than 33-years, a former political reporter and a current PCC Network talk show host. You can e-mail Strausberg at: Chintabernie@aol.com .