A mother still waits for justice

It has been 10 months since Tiffany Reeves was killed in a fentanyl homicide. During this time, her grieving mother, Monica Reeves, has been fighting for justice for her daughter. She has not only picketed Bridgeview Village Hall, outdoors and at trustee meetings, but she has been telling her story to all of those who would listen. As a result, her daughter's picture has been posted in a billboard in Kentucky, and on April 15th, it was shown at Times Square in New York, all to fight against stigma against those who died from fentanyl poisoning and to bring their murderers to justice. For Monica Reeves, regretfully, this fight is not being taken seriously, and she feels that the authorities of Bridgeview are not doing enough to bring her daughter's murderer to justice.

"Tiffany... died June 23 , 2022," she says. "It will be 10 months now fighting for justice. The mayor still has not said anything. [He] still has not made one public announcement for any of these kids who died in Bridgeview." Reeves' concern regarding the time that has passed is compounded by the fact that, as of June 23, 2023, one year will have passed in the investigation, yet Reeves feels it is not going much of anywhere because it is not being taken seriously enough due to the drug stigma. "This is drug induced homicide. I want justice for daughter and [for] all these parents fighting for justice."

Even though she expresses anger and frustration because of this seeming fentanyl epidemic, it would appear that she is far from giving up the struggle. "I will continue the fight till the person is in jail . I will never stop fighting fentanyl is murder . Our next mission is to put a billboard in Cook County cause it has never been done." This fight could not come at a more needful time as it was just announced on April 19, 2023 that approximately 800 pounds and $21.1 million in fentanyl was confiscated in California, smuggled in a shipment of green beans. There was nothing in the report to indicate an arrest, but unless it can be proven that the drug did not contaminate the legumes, the shipment of legumes is no longer safe to eat considering the extremely high toxicity level of fentanyl.

Because of all of these factors, fentanyl poisoning is shaping up to be one of the worst American epidemics of the 21st Century, only second to heart disease, COVID, and cancer. It is therefore worth learning what Cook County Board President Preckwinkle and Governor Pritzker are planning to do to taper these deaths. "These kids did not ask to die," declares Reeves. "They were killed . The numbers are rising by the day: my daughter and all these kids who were killed from fentanyl will not be forgotten. We will continue to fight."

Mayor Steven Landek and Chief Ricardo Mancha were not available to comment.