Jesse Jackson pleads for end to violence at 19-year-old murder victim's funeral

The Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks during an editorial board meeting at the Chattanooga Times Free Press on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks during an editorial board meeting at the Chattanooga Times Free Press on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson gripped the lectern in front of the large, silent crowd gathered at Olivet Baptist Church for the funeral of 19-year-old Kevin Albert Jr. on Tuesday.

The 73-year-old fixed his gaze on the mourners who came to remember Albert, a Brainerd High School graduate who was shot to death on Rosemont Drive on Sept. 29.

"Somebody," he said, low voice slowly rumbling through the auditorium. "Somebody knows who killed Kevin. They may be in this room. And if you know, tell it."

The crowd screamed and applauded, many on their feet.

Jackson spit out his next words, shouting:

"If you know, and you don't tell it, blood is on your hands."

The crowd hollered even louder.

photo The Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks during an editorial board meeting at the Chattanooga Times Free Press on Tuesday.

A well-known civil rights activist, Jackson visited Chattanooga on Tuesday to speak with city leaders about gun violence and other issues.

Shortly before Albert's funeral, Jackson told the Times Free Press that the country needs to do more to restrict access to high-powered weapons and must figure out a way to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill.

"The combination of guns and drugs and mental health is a formula for what we see in Oregon," he said. "Where people with mental health issues have easy access to guns. We're not talking about guns for hunting, for preservation; we're talking about people who are walking the streets mentally challenged, who haven't gone through a psych background check or other background check and who have weapons superior to the police force."

On Oct. 1, a 26-year-old gunman killed nine people when he opened fire in a classroom at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore. And while Jackson discussed the country's mass shootings, he also said the country reacts differently to a mass shooting than to the continual violence of the streets.

"We seem to have these emotional episodes when something horrific occurs," he said. "But the institutional killing, we have grown numb to it at the national level."

Jackson pointed out that in Chicago, 351 people were shot during September. And 57 people were murdered in that time frame, according to the Chicago Tribune.

"That's 10 Oregons," Jackson said.

In Chattanooga, 22 people have been killed so far this year, with more than 100 shootings in the city.

At Albert's funeral, Jackson, local leaders and Albert's friends pleaded with the community to end the violence on the streets.

"Enough is enough," Jackson said. "Stop the killing."

Contact staff writer Shelly Bradbury at 423-757-6525 or sbradbury@timesfreepress.com with tips or story ideas.

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