Memorial for Morgan Myatt - RIP

Excerpted from the Washington Post Metro section, Friday, March 26, 2010.
A woman who was fatally shot in Fairfax County on Wednesday was identified as Morgan Myatt, 23, of Holly Street NW in the Washington DC, and the man accused of killing her was identified as Antoine T. Avery, 25, of Spotsylvania, VA.
Myatt was shot as she sat in a car near Orinda Court in the Mount Vernon area about 7:25 am. The gunman fled. Later Wednesday, police in Arlington, VA, responded to a report of a man with a gun in the 1200 block of South Quincy Street. As officers arrived, Avery shot and killed himself.
Fairfax police think that Myatt and Avery had been in a relationship. Myatt's Facebook page indicates that she has a 3-year-old son.

Peace to the child, and to all.

There was no shrine at the site of the suicide, which is about a mile and a half from my own neighborhood.

Flower shrine for Christian Perez

From Police and Washington Post reports:
Christian Perez, 16, was found dead of a head wound Friday March 19, 2009 about 4 pm. in Woodlawn Park, in the Fort Belvoir-Mount Vernon area of southern Fairfax County, VA. Police believe he was beaten with an aluminum baseball bat.
Three teenagers have been arrested. Police said the homicide appeared to be the work of the MS-13 gang.
A 15-year-old boy was arrested in Woodbridge on 3/22/10. He is charged in Fairfax juvenile court with murder.
On 3/24/10, Jorge Albarenga, 19, of Southlawn Court in the Mt. Vernon area was arrested in Harrisonburg, VA. He was charged with malicious wounding by mob and gang participation.
A male, 16, was arrested in New York City. He also was charged with murder.
According to accounts offered to investigators, a large group had been fighting. Other accounts suggested that two people fought as a large group watched.
An area resident said one of her neighbors reported seeing "a group of kids standing around a body." The resident said the witness told police that as she went to the scene, two people fled.
According to another resident, a neighborhood account indicated that four people had been wounded and that a weapon was used.
In another account, the teenager called a friend by cellphone to say, "I'm getting jumped." The teenager was reportedly dead when the friend arrived.
Residents said people who claimed to have seen the teenager's body indicated that his wounds were severe. "One of my neighbors saw the body," one man said. "It was pretty beaten up."
Residents of the neighborhood, which is between Huntley Meadows Park and Route 1, expressed surprise at the reports. Over more than 30 years, while townhouses took up once-open space and the population increased, the neighborhood had remained quiet, one said.
"Other than common teenage scuffles," nothing so serious had ever happened, he said.

It is a quiet little park in a modest neighborhood.

The more I see of murder and its aftermath, the sadder it makes me, and more determined to mark the lives of the victims and especially the creations and visible healing outpourings of their families and friends.

Bloods RIP graffiti, and tape for Samuel Garvin- Suitland MD

This complex of gang memorial tags and crime tape is behind an older strip mall (near US Census Bureau)in 4600 block Suitland Rd, Suitland MD. I found this graffiti for a Bloods gang- RIP's to Jay, Lil Dre, Trey, & Messey. I could find no other info. The grafitti indicates they are the Homer Avenue Crew.
I was looking for apossible shrine or material for Mr. Samuel Garvin, and discovered this material. The yellow tape is for Mr Garvin I believe. On February 17, 2010 at 11:44 am, Prince George's County police officers responded to the 4600 block of Suitland Road for the report of a shooting. They discovered Samuel Kelly Garvin, 26, of the 3000 block of 9th Street, SE DC suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

I have no information on the others mentioned and memorialized in these other markings.

The Star of David and the swastika, and the chaos of the environment... Unusual, and to me, both sad and disquieting.

Shalom. Always - shalom.

Unidentified murder victim- crime scene tape; Riverdale, MD

On February 9, 2010 at approximately 9:05 p.m., patrol officers responded to the 5400 block of 55th Place of Riverdale, MD, for the report of a shooting. When patrol officers arrived, they discovered an unidentified adult male suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead on the scene. Detectives are working to identify the suspect(s) and establish a motive in this case.

At the time of this slaying there were several feet of snow on the ground.

Shrine for Gemel Lamont Williams

I came upon ths older shrine while looking searching for the more recent killing of Marquis Wade, in the same block. This shrine to Mr. Williams has been kept up for some time.
from DC police online files:
At 1:20 am on Saturday, August 30, 2008, DC police officers from the Seventh District responded to the 500 block of Newcomb Street SE, Washington DC, to investigate the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, an adult male was found in front of a residence suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Emergency personnel were unable to find any signs consistent with life. He was subsequently pronounced dead on the scene.
The decedent in this case has been identified as Gemel Lamont Williams, 27, of the 300 block of Parkland Place, SE.

Marquis Wade's last spot on earth

At approximately 8:46 pm on Saturday, February 27, 2010, CD police officers from the 7th District responded to the 300 block of Parkland Place SE, Washington DC, to investigate the report of a shooting. They located an adult male lying on the sidewalk at that location suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. The victim, 20-year-old Marquis Wade of the 300 block of Parkland Place, SE was transported to an area hospital where he was subsequently pronounced dead.

Crime scene marker for Justin Ryan Cobb

On March 24, 2010 at 12:40 am, Prince George's County patrol officers responded to the 5000 block of Gunther Street after receiving a report of a shooting. They discovered Justin Ryan Cobb, 29, of the 5000 block of Gunther Street in Capitol Heights, unresponsive and suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Cobb, who had an extensive criminal history, was pronounced dead on the scene. Detectives are working to identify the suspect(s) and establish a motive in this case.

Shadawnchea Gardner's point of passage

On Wednesday, March 10, 2010, at 7:41 pm, Fourth District DC police officers responded to the unit block of Hawaii Avenue NE, Washington DC, on report of a man down at that location. Upon arrival, they discovered an adult male suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. The victim, Shadawnchea Gardner, 26, was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.
A subsequent investigation resulted in the arrest of 29-year-old Marcus Silver of NE Washington. Mr. Silver is currently being charged with Murder One While Armed.

Sneakers, 2700 block Langston Place SE

At 3:00 am on Tuesday, March 16, 2010, police officers responded to the rear of the 2700 block of Langston Place SE, Washington DC, to investigate the report of a shooting. Upon arrival they discovered an adult male suffering from apparent multiple gunshot wounds. The victim was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The identity of the victim in this case is being withheld at this time pending the proper notification of the next-of-kin.

This is a a rough neighborhood- I was threatened with a robbery of my cameras but talked my way out of it. Usually folks are curious but open up and are supportive. The crowd under these sneakers dispersed warily when I approached with my gear.

Peace to all.

King of Pop- 8th St NE Shrine

This elaborate and regularly renewed shrine to the late "King of Pop" Michael Jackson covers the entire front of 922 8th Street NE, Washington DC. The shrine is nearly a year old, as Mr. Jackson died on June 25, 2009.
It is colorful and passionately eclectic.

It is only the second celebrity memorial shrine I have seen in the DC area- the other was for slain Redskins player Sean Taylor.

My friend and supportive colleague, the gifted writer and activist, Patrice Gaines, recently wrote me that the shrines have a spiritual quality, that mark "how we remember."
Learn more about Patrice's good work at:
http://www.patricegaines.com

There is an interesting interview with the maker of this shrine at:
http://peoplesdistrict.blogspot.com/2010/05/maxcine-on-michael-jackson-house.html

This shrine was referred to me by my friend and adviser, Craig Byrnes.

Many flowers for Katelyn Zinn

From a Fairfax County (VA) police report: West Springfield Police District – A 19-year-old woman died in a traffic crash on Friday, January 22, 2010 around 11:30 p.m. when the car she was driving ran off the road and struck a tree. Katelyn M. Zinn, 19, of 9210 Cork Place, Burke was driving a 1996 Toyota Camry eastbound on Burke Lake Road, near Burke View Avenue, when she apparently lost control, struck a concrete median, ran off the right shoulder and slid sideways into a tree.

The victim was the sole occupant of the vehicle and police do not believe she was wearing a seatbelt.
There is also some moving online material to this young woman at:
http://www.news.synavista.com/2010/01/fatal-crash-on-burke-lake-road

I generally do not post shrines for accident victims, but the physical scale of this shrine, reported to me by my friend Oso Waldman, and the intensity and profusion of the emotions expressed, made it of interest as a visual record of how powerfully grief and loss can be processed and recorded.

My heart goes out to this young woman's many friends and family. It is evident that she was deeply cherished.

Police tape for Keith Neal, 1300 block of Eastern Avenue, NE

From a DC Police report:
At approximately 2:45 pm on Wednesday, January 20, 2010, members from the Sixth District responded to the 1300 block of Eastern Avenue, NE, Washington DC, for the report of an unconscious person. Upon arrival at a residence at that location, officers discovered an adult male suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. The victim was transported to an area hospital where he was subsequently pronounced dead.

The victim in this case has been identified as 41-year-old Keith Neal of the 1300 block of Eastern Avenue, NE.