Lil Baby Calls For Change at Funeral of 16 Year Old Shooting Victim Bre’Asia Powell
Bre’Asia Powell
Credit: FOX 5 NEWS/YOUTUBE
By: Omar Cook
At a funeral held on Saturday, June 3, mourners gathered to honor the memory of Bre’Asia Powell, the 16-year-old girl who tragically lost her life in a shooting outside Benjamin E. Mays High School in Atlanta. Among those in attendance was rapper Lil Baby, who used the occasion to advocate for meaningful change in the city. Lil Baby has consistently spoken out for necessary change in the city.
Fox 5 Atlanta reported that on May 28, early Sunday morning, tragedy struck when Bre’Asia Powell was fatally shot during a gathering outside her school at approximately 2:30 a.m. The 16-year-old, a junior at the school, was an active member of both the basketball and cheerleading teams. As of now, the police have yet to identify any suspects in the case, and Crime Stoppers has offered a reward of $10,000 for information leading to a resolution of this devastating incident.
Lil Baby gave a speech to the youth during the funeral of a 16-year-old girl from Atlanta who lost her life following a fight at a graduation party 🙏🏽🕊️ pic.twitter.com/fpuL5IjT5j
— No Jumper (@nojumper) June 5, 2023
Family and Friends Mourn The Passing of 16 year old Bre’Asia Powell Credit: Jenni Girtman
The service has held at Jackson Memorial Baptist Church where a number of people close to to Powell spoke at the funeral including Kamira Garrett, one of her coaches. “She was a very well-mannered kid. She was very special to us all,” Garrett stated. Atlanta City Council member Andrea L. Boone shared her condolences as well stating that she grew up in the same community as Powell and that she also “attended L.P. Miles Elementary School just like young Bre’Asia.” Atlanta rap star Lil Baby expressed that he wasn’t just there to speak on the incident, but that he wanted some real change to take place and that he would be a part of the plan to make it happen.
“What I do wanna say to the like the youth and the younger generation, as a we, because I’m with y’all. We gotta change” said Lil Baby as he opened up his speech. “I’m only here to not speak but—we gotta come up with a plan, and I’m here to help the plan.”
Last Sunday, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens spoke on Bre’asia stating “This young lady was full of life.” He also stated that Bre’asia was set to work in Atlanta’s summer youth employment program which was set to begin Tuesday
“We’re always heartbroken when anyone loses their life in our city, but especially when it’s a young person the day after school lets out,” Dickens said. This is a tragic loss for the Atlanta community, but also a wake up call that there needs to be some real plans in place to stop gun violence, especially among teens.
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