Cardi B has spoken out after the killing of 15 year old Javits Frimpong in the Bronx, using an Instagram Live session to mourn the teenager and to urge parents to teach their children kindness. Cardi, who grew up in the Bronx, said what happened to Javits is the reason she would never raise a child in the Bronx, Harlem or Washington Heights, and she described growing up in those neighborhoods as a daily struggle for survival.
Javits was shot once shortly before 9:30 in the morning on Thursday, October 29, near East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Claremont section of the Bronx, while walking to DreamYard Preparatory School. He was taken to hospital and later died. Police are
searching for three teenagers described as wearing black clothing and blue surgical masks. As of Friday afternoon, no arrests had been
announced, and police have not confirmed a motive.
Community members gathered Friday evening to remember Javits, with vigils held at the spot where he fell and a memorial that keeps growing. The city Department of Education said it is offering counseling and support to students, families and staff while assisting police with the investigation. Ghana's government has agreed to fund a trip to New York for Javits's mother so she can bury her son.
Javits had moved from Ghana about a year ago to live with his father, Thomas Frimpong. His father told reporters that the school principal had called days earlier about an incident involving Javits and two other students who were suspended. Police have not confirmed any link between that incident and the killing, and that link must not be stated as fact.
Cardi closed her message with a plea aimed at parents. She urged adults to teach their children to be kind, saying it starts with them, and she urged parents thinking of raising children on the East Coast to consider Pennsylvania over New York City. The Talk Lounge sends its deepest condolences to the Frimpong family, and will update this story with care as police share more confirmed information.
