Like a rose, St. Louisans expressed love for The Rose Man (Lee Chester Nixon) last week as crowds flowered his vigil, wake, funeral and tribute.
“I’m amazed at how many people showed up and showed so much love for Lee,” said Gloria Nixon-Pone, his sister.
The Rev. Dr. Freddie J. Clark, Shalom pastor and Call To Oneness director, eulogized The Rose Man, Clark called his shooting death at a Metro East nightclub “a parable for the Call To Oneness” during his address Friday at the Victor Roberts Building.
Following the gathering, about 200 people marched to The Rose Man’s nearby storefront at 5010 Dr. Martin Luther King Dr. for a vigil.
A woman who lived near the store said The Rose Man showed black men how to love a black woman by offering her roses.
“He was a good, quiet man and he minded his own business,” Josephine Harris said.
Rocina Troupe wept at the vigil, saying he brought her roses when one of her family members died.
“It hurts so much, I can’t believe he’s gone – he didn’t do anything to anybody,” Troupe said.
The City of St. Louis honored The Rose Man at his funeral on Saturday, an effort spearheaded by Toya Batchman, who knew The Rose Man in passing.
“I felt that he deserved it and it shows that he was well respected in the city,” said Batchman, who also is leading an initiative for a resolution from the Board of Aldermen.
“We, the family of Lee ‘The Rose Man’ Nixon, would like to extend our deepest gratitude for the tremendous outpouring of love shown by the St. Louis community in the aftermath of Lee’s brutal murder,” his sister, Nixon-Pone, wrote in a letter to the American.
“For this, we are and will remain forever grateful.”
Thorns in the aftermath
However, Nixon-Pone pointed out some thorns in the aftermath of her brother’s demise.
According to Nixon-Pone, unauthorized individuals have solicited and accepted money on behalf of the Nixon family, which she said should go to Austin A. Layne Mortuary, Inc. in care of Austin Layne. The funeral home is located at 7203 West Florissant Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 63136. Phone inquiries should be made at (314) 381-6900.
The rear of The Rose Man’s truck has also been broken into and the tires flattened, according to Nixon-Pone. Nixon-Pone said she is “saddened by the actions of others who have taken this tragic occasion to capitalize on Lee’s death for personal gain.”
Illinois State Police had not made an arrest by press time. The Rose Man was fatally shot when a man who had been ejected from a Metro East nightclub allegedly retaliated by driving by and firing into the club.
A bullet inadvertently struck The Rose Man fatally in the head and wounded another man in the head.
Shot spotter
On Tuesday the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department unveiled its Shot Spotter Gunshot Location System, a new tool in its fight against gun violence in the city.
Shot Spotter GLS uses sensors to detect the sound and location of gunfire. Within 15 seconds of gunshots, the computer system in patrol cars will alert officers of the address closest to where the gunshots originated.
The system also determines how many shots were fired and pinpoints the shooter’s location and whether the gun is moving or stationary.
Signs have been posted in four areas stating that the system is in place.
The system has been placed at four locations in the Wells-Goodfellow neighborhood, which is bound by Martin Luther King Drive, Union Boulevard, Natural Bridge Road and to the County line just before Pine Lawn.
From January to May 2008, a total of five murders and 22 armed robberies have occurred in that neighborhood. In 2007, a total of 14 murders occurred in that neighborhood.
Major Dan Isom, a special projects coordinator in the police chief’s office, called the Shot Spotter GLS outstanding.
“It’s faster in alerting police than a phone call,” Isom said.
“It should help with safety, investigations and should help deter gun violence.”
A $250,000 Justice Department grant funded the program.
