Manuel Porties Jr., 18, was unjustly murdered on September 28th, 2021 in Schaumburg, IL. What was supposed to be a fistfight became an encounter in which Manny was fatally and repeatedly stabbed in the neck after having already been knocked down to the floor. The murderer fled the scene and yet was only charged with a misdemeanor for unlawful use of a weapon because the district claims that the situation would be considered mutual combat despite it not being a fair fight. They have also justified their decision by claiming to have insufficient evidence, disregarding a video recorded on a cell phone which shows the occurrence from start to finish. (We cannot provide the full video but instead, a report that includes the non-graphic parts of it, see attachment) https://wgntv.com/news/a-coward-family-upset-at-prosecutors-after-video-shows-18-year-old-stabbed-to-death-in-schaumberg/ 

After a peaceful protest on October 1st in which a significant amount of people attended, no change has been made and instead the misdemeanor charge has been dropped, leaving his killer with only the consequence of house arrest for now. Currently, we are searching for ways to gain exposure and coverage on Manny’s story, hoping that the more people that support the cause, the more pressure the state will have to change their decision regarding this case. 

This can no longer be normalized. He is not just another name or another death. He was a friend, a brother, a son, and most importantly a human being with a beautiful soul and a lot of dreams. Manuel did not deserve the way his life was ended and much less the injustice he got for it. We hope to give both his friends and family the peace they deserve as well as the time to properly grieve instead of fighting for consequences that should have been established since the beginning. We truly hope that these efforts will eventually reach the justice that our government couldn’t provide. If you want to educate yourself more about the story, please read the statement attached: https://docs.google.com/document/d/119MYb8bD3anMLhs_XZ4mEC-fBboP5O-MaR6bgUTjysY/edit?usp=sharing