Marcus L. White, Jr. would have turned two years old on Wednesday.
But when he was just 15 months old, he was killed when someone fired shots into a family picnic on East Hills Drive.
In his honor, City Council declared Tuesday, February 18, 2014 to be “Marcus Lamont White, Jr. Day” in the city of Pittsburgh.
Around three dozen of Marcus’s family, friends, and supporters crowded into Pittsburgh City Council chambers for the proclamation on Tuesday.
Among the speakers was Andre Scott, the cousin of Marcus’s mother, Jameela Tyler.
“We just want everyone to come together,” said Scott. “This is not an inner-city thing. This is not a rural thing. This is not a black thing, a white thing. This is a human thing, and we lost a human life.”
Shannon Williams from CeaseFire PA said she was heartbroken by the circumstances under which she met Tyler and the rest of her family.
“We’ve been meeting every week on Thursday,” said Williams. “We’ve been rallying every other Saturday in different neighborhoods, to let people know we didn’t forget about Marcus. His life is not going to be forgotten, and he is not going to be gone in vain.”
Nine months after Marcus’s death, no one has been arrested for the shooting. Community members pleaded with the public to come forward with any information they have about the shooting.
“Enough is enough is enough,” said Richard Carrington of Voices Against Violence. “Quit hiding cowards, and stand up and be accounted for.”
The proclamation was sponsored by all nine members of City Council, which President Bruce Kraus said is unusual.
"Our hearts go out to you," said Kraus, addressing Marcus's family.
