Hundreds Come Out for Funeral of Christina Green

Hundreds Come Out for Funeral of Youngest Arizona Shooting Victim
Jan 13, 2011 – 2:55 PM

Gillian Flaccus
AP
TUCSON, Ariz. -- As the funeral for the youngest victim of the mass shooting in Arizona was set to begin Thursday, the largest flag recovered from Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center was raised by two fire trucks with ladders extended, and several hundred people lined a road near the church to show support.

Nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green was born on Sept. 11, 2001, and featured in a book called "Faces of Hope" that chronicled one baby from each state born on the day terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people. Christina's funeral is the first for the six victims killed when police said a gunman opened fired on a crowd at an event for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, critically injuring the congresswoman and wounding 13 others.

Christina Green, 9, was killed at a political event in Tucson, Ariz., on Saturday.

The third-grader had an interest in politics and had recently been elected to her student council. She was also the only girl on her Little League baseball team and wanted to become the first professional female ball player.

During President Barack Obama's speech at a memorial Wednesday night, he spoke at length about Christina and reminded the audience that the third-grader's neighbor had brought her to meet Giffords because of her budding interest in democracy.

"She saw all this through the eyes of a child, undimmed by the cynicism or vitriol that we adults all too often just take for granted," he said. "I want to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as Christina imagined it. I want America to be as good as she imagined it."

Her funeral was set for 1 p.m. MST (3 p.m. EST). Before it began, cars were parked on both sides of the road, and traffic was backed up. Members of motorcycle groups from Arizona and California parked their bikes in a group. Several hundred people, many dressed in white T-shirts, stood silently along a road near the church. About 20 people were dressed as angels.

They organized over the Internet and by word of mouth, saying they wanted to be there in case members of a Kansas church showed up to protest. The Westboro Baptist Church threatened to picket the funerals for Christina and other victims, but they backed off, in part because a nationally syndicated radio show agreed to host some of their members.
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Hundreds Come Out for Funeral of Youngest Arizona Shooting Victim