CHICAGO — Describing her husband as a keeper of the peace who understood "what it meant to serve and protect," the widow of slain Chicago police officer Thor Soderberg spoke Thursday at the Democratic National Convention.
Jennifer Loudon joined family members of fallen officers from Cleveland and Philadelphia during the convention, taking place this week in the City of Brotherly Love. They spoke just before 8 p.m. ahead of Chelsea Clinton and the Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton.
During her speech just before 8 p.m., Loudon called on Americans to honor the memories of police like Soderberg "by acting as our officers did: helping others, bridging communities and building peace."
Remembering Thor Soderburg, his service to #Chicago and beautiful wife Jennifer Loudon @cpdmemorial #DemsInPhilly pic.twitter.com/lga58LGhe9
— Bridget Gainer (@BridgetGainer) July 29, 2016
The veteran officer was shot with his own gun — once in his back and twice in his head — as he left work on July 7, 2010. Soderberg was on his way to a volleyball game after work when he was attacked in a Chicago Police Department parking lot in Englewood.
"When I lost Thor, I had no idea it was possible to lose so much in an entire lifetime, much less in a single moment," Loudon said Thursday.
A year ago Aug. 4, a Cook County judge found Bryant Brewer guilty of murdering Soderberg. He was later sentenced to life in prison and an additional 115 years behind bars.
RELATED: Officer's Killer Convicted After Judge Says Bullet In Back Not Self-Defense
While Brewer's attorneys argued their client was suffering from schizophrenia, the judge said he believed Brewer "brutally, callously, viciously and without compunction murdered Officer Thor Soderberg" before shooting at several other officers outside the station.
Officer Thor Soderberg was murdered by Bryant Brewer in Englewood in 2010. [Facebook/Thor Soderberg Memorial Page]
Before his brutal death, Soderberg was an officer who knew the worth of treating people with kindness and respect, "especially when he was most often called to their worst moments," his wife said.
"Honor all of the officers who put their lives on the line protecting us every day" -Jennifer Louden #DemsInPhilly #DemConvention
— Anita Nelson (@AnitaNelson) July 29, 2016
Once, she said he was called to a store after a boy stole a belt, tired of using a rope to keep his pants up. Soderberg paid for the belt and the charges were dropped, Loudon said.
"He did not want that boy to start his life with a record," she said. "Thor knew that every word he spoke and, yes, every arrest he made defined what it meant to serve and protect."
Her words were well-received on Twitter:
This wife of a fallen cop is speaking softly. And making a big impact.
— Mo Rocca (@MoRocca) July 29, 2016
Loudon was not the only Chicagoan to speak at the convention — even aside from the Obamas.
Geneva Reed-Veal, the mother of Sandra Bland, and Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton, the mother of Hadiya Pendleton, joined other Mothers of the Movement for a primetime appearance Tuesday.
Another member of "Mothers of the Movement" is Annette Nance-Holt, the mother of slain Chicago teen Blair Holt, who was shot and killed on a CTA bus in 2007.
RELATED: Hadiya Pendleton's Mom, Mothers Of The Movement To Headline DNC Tuesday
The Mothers of the Movement were brought together by the violent and prominent deaths of their own black children. Hillary Clinton has met with the group multiple times in Chicago since announcing her bid for the presidential office, including at a public event in February.
Chicago mothers Annette Nance-Holt (second from left), Geneva Reed-Veal (fourth from left) and Cleopatra Pendleton-Cowley (fourth from right} join other Mothers of the Movement on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. [Getty Images]
The group includes the mothers of Trayvon Martin — who was fatally shot in 2012 in Florida by George Zimmerman — and Michael Brown — who was killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., in 2014.
Hadiya was fatally shot in Kenwood on Jan. 29, 2013, just days after performing at President Barack Obama's second inauguration. Bland, a Naperville resident, died in police custody in Texas last year and rose to national recognition along with the hashtag #SayHerName.
Several Chicago and Illinois politicians also spoke at the convention, which concludes after Thursday night.
Contributing: Erica Demarest, Tanveer Ali
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