Andre Taylor, a 16-year-old scholar athlete at Julian High School, dreamed of using his athletic ability as a gateway to a better life. But on March 13, he was gunned down on a neighbor's lawn, just steps from his home. | Photo Provided
By BRITTANY REYES
Homicide Watch Chicago
Returning home after walking his girlfriend to the bus stop, 16-year-old Andre Taylor was shot in the back of the head and died on a neighbor’s lawn in the Rosemoor neighborhood on March 13.
The Rev. Ira Acree of Greater St. John Bible Church believes the murder is linked to people involved in the “illegal drug economy.”
Acree’s relationship to the family spans 25 years; Taylor’s great-grandmother served on the search committee that recruited Acree as pastor more than two decades ago.
Reverend Ira Acree has pastored the Greater St. John Bible Church for 25 years. He is widely know for being a social justice activist in the community and is a tireless advocate for empowerment and education. | Photo from Facebook
Though Acree hadn’t seen Andre Taylor in “quite a while,” he described him as an intelligent and comical young man who had a great future ahead of him.
The long-time friend of the family confirms the boy wasn’t affiliated with a gang, saying he was “too busy” to engage in that lifestyle. He was an honor student at Julian High School, and played multiple sports, including football, basketball and swimming.
No arrests have been made in connection with the murder, but Acree is certain the violence was initiated, in part, by rising drug activity in the community.
“I was completely devastated to know we lost another youth because there is no reasonable excuse for the senseless killings that are taking place in Chicago right now,” Acree said.
“I know it’s prompted by poverty and the desperation of a people, and every time these innocent kids are killed, drugs have something to do with it.”
During a prayer vigil March 18, the family announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Taylor’s killer.
This flyer was handed out during the vigil on March 18 and posted to social media to motivate the public to speak up and help the family find the person responsible for Taylor's murder. | Photo Provided
Acree said the service was surreal, as prayer vigils typically are, but the chilling memory of great-grandmother Betty Johnson “moaning and groaning in pain” was something he wasn’t prepared for.
In 2008, Taylor’s mother was killed in a car accident and Johnson became the primary caretaker for the boy and his younger brother. The 80-year-old has lived her whole life in the city’s Far South Side, where she raised two children of her own and several grandchildren.
"If I wasn't so old, I'd take the other grandkids that are living with me and go so far up in the country, it would take three hours to get to me,” Johnson said. “It's just so bad that this is the way we have to live."
At the time of the vigil, someone hugged Johnson and told her they understood what she was going through, according to Acree. But the grieving woman shook her head and said, “No you don’t understand ... You don’t know how other people feel until they’ve killed someone in your family.”
Reverend Ira Acree, members of Greater St. John Bible Church, activist Andrew Holmes, and Taylor's family gathered to mourn the 16-year-old's death and publicly urge the killer to come forward. | Photo Provided
Acree recounted the somber moment and explained how he used the long drive home to sort through his racing thoughts.
“I don’t know how she feels but I know how I feel,” Acree said. “I’m so tired of the genocide and I’m so angry at others for taking the innocent lives of the bright stars of our community.”
Taylor’s funeral took place in Salem, Indiana, and the place was “jam packed,” according to Acree. Family and friends came to show their love, and a poet delivered a powerful message rebuking and condemning murders targeting young victims.
“It’s gotten much worse out here,” Johnson said. “But you never heard anything like what’s going on today. I feel sorry for the all of these young kids coming up today.”
As a Chicago native, Acree described how gangs have always plagued the city, but “when you kill one of our kids, a line has been crossed.”
Acree is pleading with the public, especially government officials, to work toward increasing resources in the community, believing this will lessen the appeal of gang life and drug involvement.
“It needs to be declared that Chicago is in a state of emergency and we need all hands on deck if we’re going to end this course of violence,” Acree said.
“We need to invest in the creation of jobs and improve the city's infrastructure, and that starts with improving the education system, building up fragmented families and getting guns off the street.”