GAYNOR HALL: Lots of questions being raised tonight about why iHeartRadio is honoring a talk show radio personality who regularly mocks Chicago’s violence victims.
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MICHAEL BERRY: Tyjuan Poindexter. Ha ha. Tyjuan Poindexter was standing outside with some friends when some people drove by and opened fire. Young Mr. Poindexter was shot in the head and died at the scene. He won't have to live with that name anymore.
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HALL: That was conservative talk show host Michael Berry talking about 14-year-old Tyjuan Poindexter, who was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in Chicago in 2015. Berry has called the city “Thuglandia,” and in his regular feature “Chicago Weekend Crime Report” he makes fun of shooting victims with racially charged commentary.
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BERRY: Not to be outdone, the thugs of Chicago kept reminding everyone why Chicago cannot have nice things. The weekend’s “Butcher Bill,” six dead -- one by the po-po -- and 22 wounded.
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HALL: Last week he said iHeartRadio was honoring him as top radio personality in the country. The Michael Berry Show broadcasts from Houston station KTRH. It is not syndicated in Chicago, though parent company iHeartMedia owns six stations in the city, including WGCI and V103.
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FATHER MICHAEL PFLEGER (ST. SABINA CHURCH): It is unacceptable. It’s not something you make fun of -- these people’s children. There’s blood on our streets.
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HALL: Father Michael Pfleger took to social media to voice his outrage.
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PFLEGER: Shame on iHeart. Shame on them for even thinking about giving the award. The award needs to be rejected. They need to put him off the radio or at least ought to control what he is doing on the radio.
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HALL: There are reports the award is supposed to be given to Berry at a ceremony on Sunday. We have reached out to iHeartMedia for comment, so far they have not responded.
