A group of around 300 people gathered at a vigil at Moore Square in downtown Raleigh on Sunday to commemorate Daunte Wright, as well as several victims of police brutality in Raleigh and two transgender women who were murdered in Charlotte earlier this month.
The vigil began around 6 p.m. Organizers laid out a banner with Daunte Wright’s name surrounded by candles, flowers and air fresheners — a reference to reports that Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was killed by police during a traffic stop on April 11 in Brooklyn Center, Minn., was originally stopped because of an air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror in his car.
As crowds gathered, organizers passed out flowers and candles. Several local youth activists gave speeches about police brutality, focusing on their experiences as Black youth and calling for abolishing the police.
Yakob Lemma, one of the co-founders of the Wake County Black Student Coalition, was the first to speak. He said the recent killings have made him feel angry, sad and emotionally drained.
He started a call and response with the crowd of “Say His Name” or “Say Her Name” for Daunte Wright, Adam Toledo and Jacob Blake; as well as Jaida Peterson and Remy Fennell, two Black transgender women who were murdered in Charlotte earlier this month; and Soheil Mojarrad, Akiel Denkins and Keith Collins, all killed by Raleigh police officers.
“How many more people, how many more innocent lives do we have to lose?” Lemma said.
Victoria Smith, the other WCBSC co-founder, said she has to live in fear for her life and the lives of her family members just because of their race.
“I’m so tired of wondering if I’m next,” Smith said.
Smith said she feels exhausted having to deal with the pressure of constantly living in fear at such a young age. Smith, who is 18, said there is an emotional drain from seeing so many people like herself killed from a young age, and she feels like even more of a target now that she is an adult.
