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WHEREAS, Marcus L. White, Jr., the firstborn son of Marcus L. White and only child of Jameela Tyler, was born on the 19th day of February, 2012; and,
WHEREAS, Marcus, an energetic 15-month-old baby who loved music and dancing, was gunned down on May 21st, 2013 in broad daylight while attending a cookout with two of his aunts in Pittsburgh's East Hills neighborhood; and,
WHEREAS, no witnesses to his murder have come forward to provide any evidence and, as a result, no arrests have been made in his case; and,
WHEREAS, after 466 days with very little media coverage, the story of Marcus' brutal murder has galvanized communities throughout Allegheny County thanks to a series of rallies that have been held in seven different communities to date, beginning with Freedom Corner in the Hill District, and which will continue until Marcus's murderer(s) are brought to justice; and,
WHEREAS, the "Justice for Baby Marcus" movement is designed to cover the entire Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area, bolstering relationships between people, police departments, local businesses, and nonprofits in order to build safer, more cohesive and cooperative communities; and,
WHEREAS, since Marcus Jr. cannot celebrate what would have been his 3rd birthday on February 19, 2015, that date shall now serve as a memorial to Marcus and a celebration of safe communities by all citizens of the City of Pittsburgh; and,
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh recognizes the life and passing of Marcus L. White Jr., and does hereby declare Thursday, February 19th, 2015 to be "Marcus Lamont White Jr. Day" in the City of Pittsburgh.