19 Years of Promise: The Light of Faith Fortune Extinguished in Cleveland

The Cruelty of “Early Sunday Morning”

Nineteen. It is the age of possibility, of first apartments, of choosing a path and believing in a future. Faith Fortune was 19 years old when her life was violently and brutally stolen on East 98th Street in Cleveland, in the lonely hours of Sunday morning. That time, often reserved for peace and reflection, was instead marked by the sound of gunfire, transforming a young woman’s hopeful path into an abrupt, final tragedy.

To her family, to her friends, and to the community that watched her grow, Faith was not just a name; she was a vibrant, irreplaceable person. She was a daughter, a sister, a friend—someone whose absence is now a painful, echoing silence. The grief over her senseless death is compounded by the knowledge that this violence was utterly preventable. Her death forces us to confront the terrifying reality that in our city, turning 19 is not a guarantee of reaching 20.

Senselessness Strikes: A Demand for Answers

While the Cleveland Police Department works to find the person responsible for this devastating act, the community is left demanding more than just an arrest—we demand answers as to why. What callousness, what reckless act, or what deep, corrosive anger led to the fatal shooting of a young woman with her whole life ahead of her? Faith Fortune’s death is not an isolated event; it is a painful symptom of a system failing to protect its most vulnerable citizens from the scourge of gun violence.

We reject the normalization of this violence. Faith was a life of inherent worth, and her murder should spark outrage, not resignation. The investigation must be thorough, transparent, and swift. Every citizen with information must step forward, for silence in the face of such tragedy makes us complicit in the culture that allows it to continue. Justice for Faith is the very least her family deserves, and the very foundation of hope for a safer Cleveland.

Her Name is Faith: A Call to Protect Tomorrow’s Promise

We call upon the entire Cleveland community to honor the name Faith Fortune by resolving to protect the promise of all young lives. Her memory is a powerful mandate for change. We must invest in resources that address the root causes of violence, support neighborhood organizations, and advocate relentlessly for safer streets.

For Faith’s family, the path ahead is unimaginable. We hold them in our collective heart, sending strength and solidarity. Their daughter was more than a headline; she was a light. Let us pledge to keep her memory burning brightly by refusing to let gun violence become the defining legacy of our youth. Faith Fortune should be with us today. Because she is not, we owe her and her family an unwavering commitment to seek justice and to forge a future worthy of the life she lost.