🚨 THE FAMILY OF THE WOMAN FOUND DE-AD INSIDE A SOUTH SIDE TRASH CAN IS BREAKING THEIR SILENCE… AS THEY SHARE THE HEARTBREAK NO FAMILY SHOULD EVER HAVE TO ENDURE
CHICAGO (WGN) — A memorial to celebrate the life of a woman who was found dead inside a trash can on Chicago’s South Side over the weekend concluded a series of events on Monday that called for action and justice on behalf of her family.
“It’s just, it’s hard,” said Javan Weatherspoon, Zenobia “Zee” Weatherspoon’s brother. “A person who you see every day and the next day, you don’t see them. But you feel something is not right in the atmosphere. My sister’s probably calling out for help, and I can’t answer.”
A balloon release in honor of Weatherspoon took place near where the Chicago Police Department said her body was discovered Saturday evening. Family members who spoke at the balloon release said they found out about Weatherspoon’s death through videos uploaded and shared to social media.
“It’s very devastating. And it was very gruesome,” said Fatima McKay, Weatherspoon’s cousin. “And to see how Facebook pushed it in your face even more, and there was nothing you can do about it. You couldn’t force anybody to take it down, and you got to see her in that state. It’s shocking.”
Javan Weatherspoon was among family members who attended the balloon release and could be seen holding a photo of Zenobia Weatherspoon.
“We call her ‘Zee’ — Zenobia,” McKay said. “She was very lovable. Always full of life. No matter what life brought her way. She aspired to be a nurse, so that was her passion. She went to school. She went to school for nursing.”
Earlier in the day, Black Lives Matter (BLM) organizers, State Sen. Lakesia Collins, D-Chicago, and friends of Zenobia Weatherspoon gathered at West 54th Street and South Union Avenue near where her body was found to call for justice in her death and for change after the disturbing discovery was shared on social media.
Those assembled said they are outraged that more city leaders have not spoken out on this incident. They also called for compassion from Chicagoans and asked the public to help take down videos circulating online of Weatherspoon’s body.
“Too often when black women are harmed, the world remembers the violence before they remember the women,” said Troy Gaston, an organizer with BLM Chicago. “We refuse that here today. We refuse to let the circumstances become louder than the truth of her life. We also recognize that this is an active investigation.
“We will not speculate. We will not assign blame without evidence. We will not speak over the family. But we will call for justice, which requires a full, serious, transparent investigation.”
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet identified Weatherspoon’s body, but according to CPD, an unidentified female victim — later identified by Collins’ office and family members at the balloon release as Weatherspoon — was found dead inside a garbage can in an alley near the 700 block of West 54th Street in the New City neighborhood around 6:25 p.m. on Saturday.
“I am deeply heartbroken by the devastating loss of Zenobia Weatherspoon, a beautiful young lady who was dear to my heart,” Collins wrote on Instagram on Sunday. “Zenobia was a beloved member of our community who even babysat my boys, and watching her grow up in my childhood neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago makes this tragedy profoundly personal.
“She did not deserve this, and she was loved by so many. My deepest prayers and condolences go out to her family, her friends, and everyone who loved “Zee.””
Her cause of death remains unknown at this time and is pending autopsy results. No arrests have been made in connection to this investigation.
“This person or persons are still out there,” Collins said. “I want law enforcement to investigate this and bring justice for her family.”
What’s Next
Collins called on police and city leaders to do more in Weatherspoon’s case, and offered suggestions on how stakeholders could create a system to better protect women of color.
“I’m also calling that we create another system that is for women of color,” Collins said. “We have Amber Alert. We know why Amber Alert exists, but we need to have the same type of urgency [for women of color]. I call it a pink alert. It could be called something else. I don’t know, but I’m deeply passionate about this.”
Loved ones at Monday night’s balloon release echoed similar sentiments and called on the public to not let this case go unsolved.
“I don’t have any words for the person who did it. I just hope that the police do their job,” McKay said. “I hope that the mayor gets involved. I hope that everyone who can make a difference steps forward and brings some fear to the person who did it to show that this family is going to make noise. And this is not something that you will get away with.”
Area Two detectives are in charge of the investigation. If you or someone you know has information that can help CPD make a breakthrough in the investigation of this incident, anonymous tips can be filed online at cpdtip.org.
SOURCE: https://wgntv.com/news/chicago-news/deeply-heartbroken-state-senator-memorializes-woman-after-her-body-was-found-inside-a-south-side-trash-can/
