Seven kids got charged after they beat up a mom and her 9-year-old son near a Chicago school. The attack happened last month, but cops just announced the charges on Tuesday.
Corshawnda Hatter and her son were walking home from Orville Bright Elementary School when the group jumped them. The kids who did it were between 10 and 13 years old. They all got misdemeanor battery charges.
The whole thing started because of bullying at the school. Hatter said her son was getting picked on and she tried to handle it the right way. But instead of getting help, she and her kid got attacked.
“I can’t sleep because I wake up in the middle of the night with that vision in my head of my son calling my name to help him and I couldn’t do nothing for him,” Hatter said.
The attack was so bad that both Hatter and her son went to the hospital in serious condition. Hatter said the beating was so violent that she can’t have any more kids now. But something good came out of all this pain. Chicago rapper Lil Zay Osama saw what happened and decided to help the family during Christmas.
Lil Zay Osama teamed up with Ceasefire to surprise Hatter and her two kids with tons of presents. They got an Xbox, baby dolls, clothes and other gifts. The rapper also gave the family a $650 check to help them out.
“This the only family I have. It makes it real brighter. I love all of this, knowing that I have people behind my back supporting me,” Hatter said when she got the surprise.
The gift giveaway happened at Ceasefire headquarters in Calumet Park. Hatter brought both her kids – 10-year-old Devonlee and 6-year-old Devonye. The kids were so happy to get all the presents. Lil Zay Osama said he had to do something after seeing the video of the attack.
“Nobody, kids, no parents, nobody at all. That ain’t parents don’t deserve that type of treatment at all,” he said.
The rapper said he wants to keep helping the family even after Christmas. He’s part of the stop the violence movement in Chicago and thinks what happened to them was totally wrong. Meanwhile, the seven kids who did the attack got released from custody and have to go to counseling. Hatter thinks they should have gotten more time in juvenile detention.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he was “deeply disturbed” by the video. He said the city is working with schools and police to make sure kids are safe walking to and from school.
The attack happened in the 10600 block of South Bensley Avenue around 3 P.M. Video of the beating went viral on social media and got shared thousands of times. Chicago Public Schools said they’re working with the mayor’s office and police to help the family. They also said they’re adding more support for students at the school.
Hatter said the whole experience has been traumatic for her family. But getting help from Lil Zay Osama and the community has made things a little better during the holidays.