Teresa del Rio
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

“JUSTICE FOR MURDERED CHILDREN”
TO KICK-OFF ANTI-VIOLENCE
BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN

DATE: WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2006
TIME: 10AM-11AM
Location: Crenshaw & 52 street, Los Angeles (8th district)
Los Angeles: “Justice for Murdered Children” founder Lawanda Hawkins,
will unveil the first of a series of anti- violence billboards
in Los Angeles. Hawkins’ says “the foundation’s mission is
to reduce the number of homicides and unsolved homicides by
educating the public on ways to help law enforcement,
policymakers, community leaders and the criminal justice
system become more effective and responsive to the needs
of innocent homicide victims and their families.”
This first billboard is sponsored by Northrop Grumman and
features 2 young women, Lori Gonzalez, 20 years old,
murdered in 2000 and Teresa del Rio, 20 years old,
murdered in 1999, both shot to death while driving
their cars. The 2 young men, Mario Vidal Jr. Was
murdered in 2004 and Reginald Reese 18 years old,
murdered in 1995, were also victims of gun violence
on the streets of Los Angeles.


look for the billboard at 52nd and Crenshaw...

With the support of other sponsors, this billboard campaign
will continue to place more faces of innocent victims
of homicide in different locations in the county of Los Angeles.
“I want the billboards to alert the community and
make parents aware that it can happen to them”,
stated Anna del Rio, mother of murder victim,
Teresa del Rio. “parents need to take action
whether through legislation or encourage known
witnesses to unsolved crimes to come forward
with the truth and give the victims’ justice.”
“this billboard and the other billboards to come
are important because it is a visual statement
that losing a son or daughter to homicide is
life’s most horrific experience for any parent
and we must promote the end of violence in our
cities,” says del Rio. .
Lawanda Hawkins’ foundation is dedicated to assisting
mothers of murdered children during a period following
the tragedy of losing a child to homicide.
Hawkins is dedicated to educating youth on how not to
become victims of violence, and educate citizens about
criminal activities within their communities.
Hawkins says, “ families of murdered children have
lost faith in the criminal justice system, they have
been treated as a mere after thought. It is time
that these families get the support they so
desperately deserve. For them it does not
end when they bury their child; it is only
the beginning of an everlasting nightmare. If
we don’t protect our children, then who will?”
- posted by barbara @ 5/09/2006 02:31:00 AM