Like many others in the North St. Louis City neighborhood, Michael Hassell, 31, said he used to see the Kajieme Powell walk down to the street on his way to the library every day. Powell, 25 who suffered from a mental illness, would pass the store at the corner of Riverview and McLaran avenues, where Hassell worked.
“He was sweet,” he said. “He didn’t bother nobody. I never expected to be standing here today.”
Hassell gathered on Friday (August 7) with about 30 others to rebuild Powell’s memorial, where he was shot and killed by St. Louis City police on August 19, 2014. On that day, Hassell videotaped while police killed Powell within less than 30 seconds of arriving on the scene.
According to police, the two officers were responding to reports of a shoplifting the store in the city’s North Point neighborhood. The shop owner and another witness, Alderman Dionne Flowers, both told police that Powell was carrying a knife.
Several people standing in front of the store and at the bus stop were shocked to see the situation escalate that quickly, Hassell said. It was a “brutal moment” for anyone to see, he said.
“How I deal with it?” he said. “Everyone says you should go to therapy. This is my therapy, to see all these wonderful people doing the same thing I’m doing and having the same consciousness that I have – that we are tired of being tired.”
As part of the Ferguson Commemoration Weekend, people hung “social justice prayer flags” from the tall tree in the median on Riverview. Some of the flags were crafted with children that morning at the Youth Art Build.
Kajieme’s grandmother, Debbie Powell, spoke to the crowd who gathered to rebuild her grandson’s memorial. She spoke of her grief in the past year. Kajieme had just moved to St. Louis to live with her in December 2013.
The memorial tree has been adorned with stuffed animals since Kajieme’s death. The group added two tall sunflowers that grew out of pots with the painted words, “They tried to bury us; they didn’t know we were seeds.”
“We wanted something that could create a lot of community response and give people an opportunity to not only express their condolences but also share their social justice dreams,” said Elizabeth Vega, leader of the Artivists activist group. “Out of the tragedy, we want to have that hope that we can push for.”
Follow this reporter on Twitter @rebeccarivas.
