Syreeta Myers took a deep breath Sunday evening as she made her way to Shaw and Klemm just before the candlelight vigil in memory of her son VonDerrit Myers Jr. It was the third anniversary of his death.
On the front of her shirt was a picture of her and her late son embraced as they smiled for the camera. She was approaching the corner where her life changed forever. As she took another breath trying to get her emotions in check, her eyes began to well. Before her tears could fall, she was recognized and greeted with embrace after embrace by those gathered to pay tribute to his life.
This past weekend of protests was strikingly similar to three years ago. On Friday, the group that took to the streets in the wake of the Jason Stockley verdict three weeks ago headed to Ferguson. On Sunday, the group converged on Shaw and Klemm.
The Ferguson unrest was in full swing when 18-year-old VonDerrit Myers Jr. was fatally shot by a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Officer on October 8, 2014. The protesters left Ferguson to stand in solidarity with the Myers family in South City. They filled pews at the church for his funeral in North County. And for the third year, hundreds came back to Shaw and Klemm to help the family celebrate his life.
“We are here to uplift his family, to let his family know that we haven’t forgot – that we will continue to fight and stand with them,” said State Rep. Bruce Franks Jr. “The most important message about tonight is love. Look at everybody that’s next to you, everybody behind you and everybody in front of you – this is love. This is unity.”
Syreeta Myers, VonDerrit Myers Sr., along with several family and friends, were showered with love and support.
“It is our honor and our privilege to stand with you,” Melissa Higgins said, making a point to look Syreeta and VonDerrit Sr. in the eyes. “We don’t take it lightly that you are serving a life sentence while the murderer of your son gets off scot free.”
She then commenced to singing the Negro Spiritual “Hold On Just A Little While Longer.”
“Three years ago, on this day, a lot of us were in Ferguson on the parking lot of Andy Wurm when we got notification that we needed to come to the intersection of Shaw and Klemm,” Kayla Reed said.
Reed said that in 2014 the protesters declared the month “Vontober.”
“We don’t come out here to talk about the person that was responsible for this – we come out here to lift up VonDerrit,” Reed said. “This is about Droop (a nickname for VonDerrit Myers Jr). This about Syreeta. This is about Von Sr. This is about the movement.
We decided we would celebrate his life – because we know how they tried to say that he didn’t matter. He set the precedent. VonDerrit taught us that every black life matters. That all of us have to fight for each of us – so that all of us can be free.”
Franks told the crowd that while his activism began in response to Michael Brown’s death, it was the death of VonDerrit Myers that shaped his purpose.
“It turned me into the person that I am,” Franks said. “Before that I didn’t know how to take all of that anger and frustration that I had and put it into a road of solutions. So, Ms. [Sy] Reeta and VonDerrit Sr., who I call mom and pops, I been with them since day one – and I ain’t going nowhere.”
Syreeta graciously declined the opportunity to address the crowd, but VonDerrit Sr. briefly thanked the protest community for their continued support.
“What I love most is the nationalities, the different races of us all coming together in unity,” VonDerrit Myers Sr. said.
Organizers said the Myers family was equally supportive of the protesters activism – and were activists in their own right.
“A month after they lost their son, the non-indictment came down around Mike Brown. We shut a highway down – guess who was on the front line? Syreeta and VonDerrit,” Reed said. “They were in Ferguson, before they lost their own son, exemplifying what we all must be. Because At any moment, it could be us.”
As they stood there, the tears Syreeta had been holding back began to fall.
“As for everybody who’s been out here, we know what this family means to us,” Franks said. “We must continue to love them and wrap their arms around them – and not just on October 8.”
After they concluded a moment of silence with lit candles and ascended balloons, they marched over to where then police officer Jason Flanery was on patrol before he pursued VonDerrit Myers Jr. The hundreds marched through the Flora Place neighborhood and declared it “Droop’s block” with their chants.
“We must continue to support our families who have gone through these horrible tragedies,” Franks said. “And not just when it’s time to have a balloon release or candlelight vigil.”
