SR0283LRB103 32395 MST 61826 r

1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3to learn of the death of Chicago police officer Aréanah
4Preston, who was killed in the line of duty on May 6, 2023; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Aréanah Preston was born on June 7, 1998; she
6attended high school at UIC College Prep; she graduated from
7Illinois State University in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in
8criminal justice and law enforcement administration, where she
9was a member of the National Association of Colored Women's
10Club; she earned a Master of Jurisprudence from the Loyola
11University Chicago School of Law and was set to walk the stage
12on May 13, 2023; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Aréanah Preston spent three years with the
14Chicago Police Department and was assigned to the 5th
15District, which includes the Roseland, Pullman, West Pullman,
16and Altgeld Gardens communities; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Since childhood, Aréanah Preston wanted to be a
18police officer; she was dedicated to making a difference to
19show young people that law enforcement could have a strong
20positive impact in every community; and
 
21    WHEREAS, After Illinois State University's inaugural

 

 

SR0283- 2 -LRB103 32395 MST 61826 r

1Social Justice: Trip Through Genocide experience, Aréanah
2Preston was troubled by the underrepresentation of minorities
3in law enforcement and by too many incidents of police
4brutality claiming the lives of unarmed people of color; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Based on what Aréanah Preston experienced on this
6trip, she turned contemplation into action by entering the
7academy for the Chicago Police Department with the goal of
8building trust between law enforcement and underrepresented
9communities; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Aréanah Preston was quoted after this trip,
11saying "I know a big thing for our trip was finding voices for
12those who didn't have a voice. When I got back, I wanted to be
13an officer. I felt like could be a person to fight for justice.
14I wish everyday that I could go back. I had ideas but didn't
15know how to vocalize them. The trip made me a stronger
16person."; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Aréanah Preston will be remembered as an
18uplifting, courageous, and intelligent young woman with
19unlimited potential; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Aréanah Preston is survived by her mother, her
21father, her younger twin sisters, and numerous extended family
22members and friends; therefore, be it
 

 

 

SR0283- 3 -LRB103 32395 MST 61826 r

1    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
2ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
3Chicago police officer Aréanah Preston and extend our sincere
4condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved
5her; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
7presented to the Office of the Governor, the Office of the Lt.
8Governor, the Speaker of the House, the Mayor and Mayor-Elect
9of the City of Chicago, the Chief of the Chicago Police
10Department, and the family of Aréanah Preston as an expression
11of our deepest sympathy.