Plainfield Patch: Monument Will Be Dedicated To Boy, 6, Fatally Stabbed In Plainfield Hate Crime
The upcoming dedication ceremony will reaffirm "the community's commitment to peace, remembrance, and justice against bigotry."
Community members left stuffed animals, toys and Central Elementary School merchandise in November 2023 in front of the Plainfield Township house where Wadee Alfayoumi lived with his mother. (Emily Rosca/Patch)
PLAINFIELD, IL — A monument honoring Wadee Alfayoumi, the 6-year-old Plainfield Township boy who was killed in October 2023 in what was ruled a hate crime, will be dedicated Saturday at the Van Horn Woods East Playground in Plainfield.
The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), cited as the country's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, will join the boy's family, residents and community leaders for the unveiling ceremony at 10 a.m. at the playground, off Lily Cache Road.
Organizers are also hosting a workout of the day, dubbed "Wadee WOD," beginning at 8 a.m. at the fitness pad northwest of the playground.
"This monument acts as a memorial to the beautiful life of Wadee, a statement against the anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim hate that took his young life, and a testament that he will never be forgotten," Ahmed Rehab, executive director of CAIR-Chicago, said in a statement.
On Oct. 14, 2023, Wadee, a kindergartener, was stabbed 26 times, and his mother, Hanan Shaheen, was seriously injured in an attack that a Will County jury ruled was motivated by hatred against their Palestinian heritage, Patch reported.
Their landlord, now-73-year-old Joseph Czuba, was found guilty on all charges in the death of Wadee and attempted murder of his mother.
GUILTY: Landlord Guilty On All Counts In Boy's Hate Crime Murder
On Saturday, Rehab, social workers from the Will County Sheriff's Office and Plainfield Mayor John Argoudelis are some of the guests scheduled to speak at the monument dedication.
"The ceremony reaffirms the community's commitment to peace, remembrance, and justice against bigotry," Rehab wrote in a news release.
The event will be livestreamed on Facebook, for those who can't attend in person. Guests are directed to park at 17201 S. Lily Cache Road.
Read Patch's coverage of the slaying of 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi in Plainfield Township.