On 1 JUNE 2009 at approximately 0030hrs, Alex Valadez was shot in the head while responding to a call of shots fired. Alex was transported by CFD to Stroger Hospital where at 1440hrs he succumbed to his wounds. At the age of 27 Alex was on the job for 3 years and was assigned to the 7th District. I understand that Alex had both a brother and sister who were both on the job.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the Valadez family and to the men and women of the 7th District.
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My deepest sympathy to the Valadez family and his brothers and sisters in blue. May he Rest in Peace.
From: mcmahon351@aol.com
To: pastorpfleger@ameritech.net
Sent: 6/1/2009 6:34:17 P.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: Where is everyone?
Fr. Pfleger,
I’m sure you are aware of the 27 year old Chicago Policeman who was shot in the head at 60th & Hermitage early this morning. I have just learned that this afternoon Officer Valadez succumbed to his wounds and has died. I'm sure he is now in a much better place and safely in the arms of Jesus.
This fine young man was just out doing his job trying to protect the residents of your crime ridden neighborhood and had his life cut short by some evil monster. Take a look at the video that some of your parishioners posted on “YouTube” on Saturday:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx7CuxYAMQw
Do you know who these mutts are?
Are they gangbangers, or Honor Roll students?
Are they just “misunderstood?”
Why no screaming?
Why no public outcry?
Why no demands for justice?
Why isn’t your face all over the news condemning this senseless act of violence?
Why aren’t you pleading for his killer to surrender to the Police?
Where’s Jesse?
Where’s Rev. Wright?
Where are all the other Englewood Reverends?
Where is the Alderman?
Where is the Mayor?
Where’s all your “Peace Marchers?”
Where are the residents?
Do you feel his life was not as valuable as one of your gangbangers?
Will you blame his death on an inanimate piece of metal too, or the murdering savage that pulled the trigger?
Will you fly your flag at half staff, or upside down?
Where is the outrage?
The silence is deafening!
Where are you at Fr. Pfleger, where are you now?
In my opinion, you are a disgrace to the Catholic Church and I pray that the Devil holds a special place in Hell for you............that’s good and hot!
Jim McMahon
Retired Lieutenant
Chicago Fire Department
mcmahon351@aol.com
God Speed to our fallen officer.
God Bless you-Jim McMahon,
Retired Lieutenant
Chicago Fire Department - you speak the truth
ALL GAVE SOME,SOME GAVE ALL R.I.P. OFFICER FROM A CHICAGO FIREMAN AND FORMER MARINE SEMPER FI
(Page 1 of 3)
Looks like I struck a nerve!
(PFLEGER’S RESPONSE)
In a message dated 6/1/2009 7:20:53 P.M. Central Daylight Time, pastorpfleger@ameritech.net writes:
Dear Mr. McMahon, perhaps your anger and hate don’t allow you to hear, but for your information The shooting of this officer which resulted in his death was spoken about by me this morning where I begged people with information to come forward we have also offered to post a reward to catch his killers. Your attitude being what it is I, it is probally good that you are retired.
(MY RESPONSE)
From: McMahon351@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2009 7:48 PM
To: pastorpfleger@ameritech.net
Subject: Re: Where is everyone?
Fr. Pfleger,
Once again, where are you now? I’ve watched every major news channel yesterday and today, and haven’t seen or heard as much as a whisper out of you or your merry band of political zealots. Instead, stories about Police brutality and wrong doings took center stage to deliberately overshadow the murder of this young Policeman. Who exactly did you beg for information from?.......the “Hermitage Block Club?” You always seem to manage to get top billing when you’re stirring up controversy. And I’ll bet your community members were tripping over one another to donate reward money to help “catch his killers,” because I know how eager they always are to help out the Police!
Ironically, Englewood is graced with having some of the most dedicated men and women that the City of Chicago has to offer protecting their lives around the clock. I spent over 20 years working at a firehouse in St. Sabina Parish and was involved with, or witness to an uncountable number of lives that were saved in Englewood due to the tireless efforts of the committed members of the Police and Fire Departments. And through it all, I have never once seen any gestures of kindness, or heard any words of praise or gratitude out of you or your media hungry cohorts, only complaints and vicious attacks on those that serve your community. But as you indicated, it’s probably all my “anger and hate” that has made me deaf and blind to these accolades, or maybe it’s just the truth.
(Page 2 of 3)
During this same time, I have also witnessed firsthand the consistent rise in criminal activity and moral deterioration of that neighborhood, most of which occurred during your tenure as Pastor. Rather than encouraging the people of St. Sabina Parish to accept responsibility for their own actions and move ahead to live good productive lives, you have enabled them to continue to decline by poisoning them with the venomous lies about alleged racism against them that you scream from the Pulpit, blaming everyone else for what’s going on in their neighborhood. Contrary to what you believe, the Police and Fire Departments are not full of racists. We are all one color, and that color is blue. We depend on each other for our very existence and may possibly be the only two jobs where people are truly judged by the content of their character, and not by the color of their skin.
The law abiding citizens in Englewood deserve the right to protect themselves and their families just like everyone else does in America. This is not a privilege open for discussion or debate, it’s a Constitutional RIGHT guaranteed to us under the 2nd Amendment of the Bill of Rights. Why would anyone that claims to be concerned with stopping crime try to deprive an honest person of their God given right to self preservation? In case you haven’t noticed, your constant rants of blaming the violence in Englewood on guns isn’t working, and it will never work because guns aren’t the problem, the criminals are! These are well known, documented and proven facts. Nobody should be forced to live in constant fear of their lives in a neighborhood where the criminals rule supreme.
And as far as your closing statement about “my attitude being what it is, it’s probably good that I retired,” you’re absolutely right about that. Never again will I put myself in harms way risking my life for a pack of unappreciative ingrates. As a matter of fact, it wouldn’t hurt the Catholic Church one bit if you retired too.
I would be very grateful to you and your parishioners if you could please say a few prayers for the soul of our deceased Brother, Officer Alejandro Valadez and that justice prevail with the swift conviction of his murderers, followed by the maximum punishment allowable to the fullest extent of the law. And also for the full recovery of the other Police Officer that is in critical condition after being moved by a thug in the process of robbing his gun from him following an accident where he was pinned in his squad car out in the 22nd District last week.
For your viewing pleasure, I’ve added another “YouTube” presentation of a few of your St. Sabina Choirboys. I hope you’re real proud of these pillars of the community!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1tCKOcrC7w&feature=player_embedded
Jim McMahon
Retired Lieutenant
Chicago Fire Department
mcmahon351@aol.com
(Page 3 of 3)
(PFLEGER’S RESPONSE)
From: pastorpfleger@ameritech.net
Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2009 7:48 PM
To: McMahon351@aol.com
Subject: Re: Where is everyone?
Interesting that we offered a $5,000.00 reward to be used to find the killer of the officer, how much did you offer?
________________________________________
(PFLEGER’S RESPONSE)
In a message dated 6/2/2009 9:03:07 P.M. Central Daylight Time, pastorpfleger@ameritech.net writes:
I’m going to pass your emails on to Jim Joyce and a number of my friends in the Fire Dept. I think they would be interested in your thoughts.
(MY RESPONSE)
From: McMahon351@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2009 10:09 PM
To: pastorpfleger@ameritech.net
Subject: Re: Where is everyone?
Be my guest. You can send it to the Mayor, the Governor and the President too if you'd like. Do you think I'm afraid of a little "piss ant" like you? Are you so demented that you think you're going to get me in trouble for telling the truth? Nobody with an ounce of sense has any respect for you anyhow.
It's nice to know that a "man of the cloth" refers to Lt. McMahon, one of Chicago's Bravest, as a "piss ant." Pfleger is really one class act. I bet he's really respected by his peers. NOT.. It's only a matter of time before one of these Englewood thugs gives him the beating he so richly deserves. Or has he been a victim already. Care to tell us about that father?
Jim McMahon,
You are honest and brave and I thank you for your words. Though we've never met, you surely speak on my behalf-- as a lifelong resident of a beautiful city that is being destroyed before my eyes, as the child of a brave Chicago Fireman who spent more than three decades protecting this city, as a Chicago Police Officer that has to kiss my babies good bye every night then go to ghettos where I've been shot at, spit upon, punched & kicked and called names I hope my children never hear in their lifetime, as a wife who sends her best friend-college sweetheart-loving daddy to our children, out to the ghetto to be a hero for those who hate him as CPD is expected to do 24/7. Thank you for your words. They are mine as well.
"Wed Jun 03, 09:10:00 PM"
Reading comprehension is a wonderful thing- read the post again- McMahon call Father PF a "piss ant".
I think that's great-and damn funny.
I am thankful, no, I'm more than thankful, I am humbled by and in the presence of those who choose, for the "right" reasons, to be police officers. I am deeply saddened by the death of this young, beautiful officer Valadez. My heart breaks for him and those who love him. I lay my heart open at your feet and thank you and beg your forgiveness for the ignorance that litters our streets, our hearts, our people. I hear such pain in the angry words flying about. We have become lost, it seems, so many of us have forgotten what our responsibilities are, what our obligation is in return for this gift of life. It is a gift.
Thank you officers, and your families, for protecting us, for trying to curb the evil and violence that has risen up like a giant beast bent on devouring us all. It wasn't always like this, well at least not this rampant and seemingly...accepted as the norm. The barbarianism we've come to expect is not okay with many of us. It seems inevitable, around the bend I sense the cusp of upheaval, at the very least a civil uprising, for which many of us are not equipped, nor should anticipate surviving. I am personally aware that my survival to this point is in large part because of you, Officer Valadez, and every other Officer who reads this. I am forever grateful and deeply indebted. I do not have the courage to say this to your face, plus you’d think I’m nuts, but I think it every time I walk down a street and I make it home safely.
Thank you is not enough.
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