Homicide Victims Remembered, With Doves & Forward Vision

Doris Moye came to watch her granddaughter’s fusion dance team at a Peace Mobile Caravan and Rally Saturday in Goffe Street Park. She also came to mourn the loss of her cousin, who died two weeks ago from homicide.

“Events like these help us, because everyone has been through the same grief as you,” she said. ​“The people surrounding you – on your left and right, in front and behind – they get it.”

The rally, in its eighth year, is an annual event hosted by the Bereavement Care Network. Over 100 people gathered from 1 to 4 p.m. in the park, where there was a main stage for speakers and performers surrounded by some 20 booths from local businesses, support networks, and charities.

The day’s program involved dance and drum line performances along with speeches from community members, politicians, and religious leaders. Bereavement Care also gave out two awards. Chaz Carmon, president of Ice the Beef, received the President’s Award for his work supporting local youth. Former Mayor Toni Harp received an Award of Support.

“Our purpose is to show people that no matter how long ago a homicide occurs, the pain doesn’t go away,” said Nakia N. Dawson-Douglas, founder and president of the Bereavement Care Network.

She was inspired to start the organization when her close friend Donell Allick was killed in 2011. Allick’s mother requested Dawson-Douglas to join her at the cemetery and help her with the funeral. Dawson-Douglas obliged, and slowly began to realize the struggles that victims’ families face.

“So many people come when a loss happens, but they don’t stay around after a month or two,” she said, ​“Your pain doesn’t work that way.”

Bereavement Care Network supports families on a long-term basis: providing financial support for funerals, meeting in person with families to create connections, sending grief counselors and social workers to help families once a month, and more. In its eighth year, the organization has expanded to 35 members and helped 162 families.

The rally ​“allows our communities and families to come together and realize they’re not alone in their pain,” said Dawson-Douglas.

Learning To Deal With Pain

While a DJ blasted music and people chatted with neighbors and friends at the rally, there was also meaningful discourse about violence.

“All the posters on this table are unsolved homicide cases,” said Police Officer Nancy Jordan. She was manning a booth for the NHPD, encouraging residents to give tips if they know anything about crimes. This was the first time the NHPD has had a booth at the rally.

Jordan grew up in New Haven and has served on the police force for 21 years. In the last two years, she’s worked in the victim services unit, providing support for victims of crimes and their families.

“Most of these are from this past year,” said Jordan. New Haven has seen 17 homicides this year, already surpassing the total last year. ​“People walk by the table, and stop because they recognize someone,” she said. ​“It’s deeply scary and sad, and they start to cry.”

“This is the third year we’ve hosted a prayer tent,” said Autumn and Randall Furlow. ​“Families can just come to the table if they need support or prayer.” When doves are released and victims’ names are read, the Furlows said, a line forms by their table for support.

The husband-wife duo have been pastors at Ekklesia Global Worship Assembly for the past ten years. Part of their role, they said, is to provide healing directly to communities.

“Coming together to commemorate deaths opens up wounds for people,” said Randall. ​“We give prayers to whoever needs it, and people can walk away with some sense of ease.”

Other organizations looked for preventative solutions.

“I created Daniel’s Company in 2016,” said Trel Morrison. ​“I wanted to mentor young black men to become spiritual and community leaders.” His program currently has seven active members, who meet regularly to learn a variety of skills from resumé writing to conflict resolution. At his booth, Morrison and his students advertised the program.

Omarion Gordon, one of Morrison’s students, is a sophomore at Hamden High School. He too has been affected by gun violence. ​“This past year, I lost two of my closest friends, back home in Michigan,” he said. ​“They weren’t just my friends; they were my brothers.”

Morrison said many of his students feel the emotional impacts of violence. ​“We make sure to have regular check-ins, where they can talk to each other about what they’re going through,” he said.

For Gordon, these have helped. ​“I’ve learned how to cope with my emotions in a healthy way,” he said. ​“I think that’s because I feel safe to talk about these uncomfortable topics.”

Honoring The Past

“Until it happens to you,” said Nicole Scott, ​“you can empathize, but you can’t understand.”

Scott’s son Jericho died in 2015, caught in a crossfire steps away from his home. Jericho, a star athlete who had received college baseball scholarships, had been walking back from the gym.

“People will come here and feel sad, but they’ll forget after a couple of days,” said Scott. ​“As long as I’ll live, I can’t forget.”

At the end of the day, Dawson-Douglas returned to the stage. After thanking the members of Bereavement Care Network and others who helped during the Rally, she asked victims’ families to make a horseshoe shape around the lawn.

Families began to shuffle into line, some holding each other for support. As each family lit their candle, a volunteer repeated their loved one’s name for the crowd. At the end, white doves and balloons were released into the sky. There was a silent moment as the crowd watched doves and balloons floating away.

“That’s the point of all of this,” said Scott. ​“Our pain always exists, whether you see it or not.”