by Zach Heilman
What was suppose to be a moment of silence to honor fallen Police Officer Chris Oberheim on the floor of the Illinois House was completely disrespected by State Rep Carol Ammons. She decided to take that moment as an opportunity to speak about the felon who died after allegedly killing Officer Oberheim.
Representatives Dan Caulkins, Mike Marron and Carol Ammons had decided to have a moment of silence on the Illinois House floor to honor Officer Oberheim who was killed in the line of duty on Wednesday. However Ammons appeared to have her own agenda.
âGun violence has plagued our community for far too long. And, this morning, we are standing in recognition of the loss of life of Officer Chris Oberheim.â â Carol Ammons
Instead of stopping there and allowing for the moment of silence, Ammons went on to speak about the felon that allegedly killed Officer Oberheim.
âBut we also have to call to the family who also lost a young man in this incident, Darion Lafayette. I donât know what happened or what led to this incident. But I know that gun violence is plaguing our communities across the state. And we have to do more to address the over proliferation of guns in our communities as well as to build better relationships between the police and the community.
So, today, all of our families grieve. Champaign grieves. The state of Illinois grieves. This nation is actually grieving. And, so, I pray that we can come together to address what is actually driving the violence and the murder that is taking place in our communities. We uphold these families, and we ask for solace for all of them and that there is some semblance of relief and pressure that is put on this issue so that we can address it once and for all.
We ask the body to take a moment of silence for the loss of life that has taken place in Champaign. And, thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the moment to recognize the families.â
