New Haven Independent

Standing near two recently-planted deciduous trees, Mayor DeStefano presided over the commemorative ceremony for Jajuana Cole and Justus Suggs—both innocent 13-year-olds who were hit by stray bullets last summer.

“Trees don’t replace a child’s life,” DeStefano said. But “let the trees be a reminder to keep working together for all of our children.”

The dignified tree-planting ceremony was held on the Farnam Trail Tuesday afternoon, near the site where Jajuana Cole was shot last May. Her mother, Sonda Whitfield, came to the ceremony holding a sign covered with photographs of the smiling child. Tracey Suggs, who also lost her son Justus, carried a similar sign.

Over the past year, both mothers have been at the forefront of a community battle against gang violence. Top police brass commended them on their exemplary effort, and pledged to continue the fight against “senseless gun violence.”

Whitfield said she hadn’t expected the city to host the ceremony.

“It was beautiful,” she said of the tree-planting. “I never expected it to happen.”

She added that she hoped people would treat the memorial with respect, and not leave messages or teddy bears near the trees.

Asked how the idea for the memorial came about, Suggs said she had mentioned it to the Mayor at a community meeting on Dixwell Avenue last year. He had shown up to honor the parents of children who lost their lives to gun violence. Suggs thought the Mayor would never call her back.

“I thought the Mayor had forgotten,” she said.

He hadn’t. A few weeks ago, he relayed a message to her through CTRIBAT Director Shafiq Abdussabur: the trees would be planted in August.

“He did what he had to do for me,” she said after the ceremony, adding that the city had been supportive of her family through their grieving process.