When the Garzon family heard about my plans for a community vigil they requested that I meet with them to explain to them what I was planning to do. They were already weary of the media attention and feared that the vigil would in fact turn to be an angry and violent demonstration. I assured them that the intent was to bring attention to the crime, to express public and visible support for Eddie as well as them, and to allow the community and his friends to openly show rejection of the attack. By then Eddie’s sister and cousin had arrived and they were even more hesitant than his parents, since they felt that Leonor and Armando had been going through enough without having to worry about yet one more thing. Ultimately though, it was Armando, Eddie’s father, a stoic and strong man who seemed shaken to the core by the attack on his son, who said: “We understand that the community feels the need to do their own thing and, through the family will not support it or participate in it, we give you the go-ahead to do what you must.”
---
The flyer was easy to design. Marlene provided the photo we used. Gathering signatures and sponsors for the vigil through my networks was also relatively easy. We made copies and went out to the gay bars in
---
Most of the vigil sponsors signed up after I sent out an alert through a Latino LGBT related e-mail list-serv that I run. They included the Audre Lorde Project, the
Unfortunately I also received a particular call from a local community organization leader who had seen one of the flyers who was angry that they were not originally listed and demanded an explanation. I tried to explain that I had based my outreach on the e-mail list and that I would be more than welcome to ad them as sponsors but he would have none of it. To quell the anger, they were added as sponsors as well.
---
And then, Eddie passed away on
---
The original prognosis after the attack was guarded but stable. But, over the weeks, it was obvious to some that Eddie’s health was taking a turn for the worst. Some said that the brain damage sustained during the attack and the follow-up operation was so extensive that it was never clear that he would regain full consciousness.
---
That's when the calls began.
I met with the Garzons one more time. Understandably, they were in deep grief and worried about the fact that a vigil that had been planned to wish for Eddie’s prompt recovery now would be a vigil to mourn his death. In the conversation we had I even proposed canceling the vigil. But the family, still not willing to officially support it, told me to go ahead. They also gave me a photograph of Edgar, which was his mother’s favorite picture. I asked them if I could bring the picture with me to the vigil and I was given a go ahead with one condition: That I would not send it to the press. I did tell them that I had been getting calls from media and politicians and that avoiding having either during the vigil would be difficult. They just said that they trusted me to make sure that whatever happened would honor their son’s life.
Previous posts:
- Part 1: The Attack
- Part 2: COLEGA and Eddie Garzon
- Part 3: So what is, exactly, is a 'hate crime'? (and a prayer)
Next posts:
- Part 5: The Vigil
- Part 6: A Newsday Editorial
- Part 7: A parade of angels
- Part 8: Epilogue
- Eddie Garzon: After five years, an arrest (June 29, 2006)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment