My name is Patricia short and I am Courtney Carter’s mother. Tomorrow, January 5th, is her 11th birthday.

Instead of planning a party, buying a cake, or watching her blow out candles, I stand here at her memorial, a ghost bike marking the spot where her life was violently taken from us.

Nearly two years ago, my beautiful 9-year-old daughter, Courtney, was riding her bike right here, on North Lang Avenue. She was just a week away from starting fourth grade. She loved math, she loved her friends, and she was a 'momma' to everyone around her. She had a whole life ahead of her.

But that life was ripped away.

My own sons were here. They saw what happened. They saw the driver who wasn’t paying attention. One of my boys… my precious son… he had to hold his sister’s broken face together while she died in the street.

Can you imagine that? Can you imagine what that image does to a child? What it does to a mother?

For two years, the Pittsburgh Police and the District Attorney’s Office, led by Stephen Zappala, have allowed the driver responsible for this to walk free. ZERO charges. They have ignored the eyewitness accounts of my children. They have ignored the horrific injuries Courtney suffered – injuries so severe that the autopsy photos, which I am still fighting to see, tell a story of sheer violence and negligence.

They want me to accept a paltry $30,000 settlement. That is not justice. That is an insult. My daughter’s life is not worth $30,000. My sons’ trauma is not worth $30,000.

I am here today, on the eve of her birthday, to say: I am not silent anymore.

I demand that the Pittsburgh Police fully investigate this case.

I demand that District Attorney Zappala bring criminal charges against the driver.

I demand to see every piece of evidence they have, especially those autopsy photos, so they can finally see what I have to live with every single day.

Courtney deserved to grow up. She deserved a future. She deserves justice. And I, as her mother, will fight until her voice is heard, and until her killer is held accountable.

This isn’t just about Courtney anymore. This is about every child in Pittsburgh, about making our streets safe, and about ensuring that no other family has to endure this unimaginable pain and the city’s silence.

Say her name: Courtney Carter.

Thank you." I really need help with justice can you please help