A flower was placed at a framed photo montage of the victims. (Photo: Phyllis McCabe)
It was a time for weeping, he said, for men as well as for women. But a way out of the darkness could still be found, he said, through faith in a God “who is still in control, a God who will comfort all.”
Mapes led what had become his ad hoc congregation in a prayerful shout-out affirming those words.
“In the midst of the storm,” he shouted, “God’s still here! This will not last forever!”
“Amen,” came the fervent response, “Amen!”
Later, a young man named DJ Napes, the son of vigil organizer and Ward 4 Alderwoman Nina Dawson, approached the memorial. Hesitantly, he began to sing Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again.”
“It’s been a long day,” he sang. Then he doubled over at the waist, unable to go on for several moments.
At the crowd’s urging, Napes recovered, stood up and sang, in a tremulous falsetto, “I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again. When I see you again.”
Afterward, Napes strode off down Henry Street, alone.
Within 15 minutes, the vigil came to an end when the crowd released scores of the helium balloons that had been distributed earlier.
As they rose straight up into a darkening sky, the crowd’s attention was caught by a single white balloon that didn’t join the rest. It floated slowly, drifting just above the neighborhood’s rooftops.
“It doesn’t want to leave,” said a woman holding a baby.
While the crowd watched, the balloon lingered for a moment, and another moment. Then it rose slowly and was wafted away by the wind.
Different approaches
It’s a delicate walk if you’re a politician facing a crucial primary election and a human tragedy erupts days before that vote. Kingston Mayor Shayne Gallo and Steve Noble, who will face Gallo in the Democratic primary on Sept. 10, both took that walk last Saturday at an evening vigil for four young men killed a few days before in a one-car accident.
Gallo had the advantage of both incumbency and of being a familiar face among a constituency he has courted during his tenure at City Hall. Incumbency allowed him to order flags to be lowered to half-staff at city buildings and institutions.
Gallo moved easily among the crowd at the Saturday vigil, shaking hands, meeting in small groups with others. When he addressed the crowd near the end of the vigil, he spoke of about young lives “full of potential” that had been cut short.
Gallo received an enthusiastic endorsement from Marge Knox, the grandmother of Kaireem Meeks. Knox urged the crowd to register to vote and to vote for Gallo, who she said was “transparent,” somebody who had “reached out” in the past.
Noble, a relative newcomer to electoral politics, didn’t mix much with the crowd, choosing instead to privately deliver a card of condolence to the men’s families.
Noble said afterwards that he’s familiar with the problems of young people making their way in the world through his experience running an after-school program at the Everette Hodge Community Center.
He was aware of Knox’s endorsement but said, “My focus was only to grieve.”
