Vigil seeks to inspire changemakers in the wake of tragedy

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Candle to candle, people lined Martin Luther King Boulevard near Ford Street on Monday to reflect on the most recent lives taken by gun violence in the city.

They shared the fire to light candles, just as they shared a hope for change.

But before the visual show of solidarity, some speakers demanded more of the large crowd. The vigil’s theme was “Don’t curse the darkness. Light a candle.” One speaker elaborated, asking that people not be a witness to tragedy, but to a solution.

“There is a problem. Well we know you can’t solve a problem unless you come up with a solution. But what I want to really tell you tonight is to be encouraged and to stay strong because your presence here represents what we can do when we come together,” he said.

Two teens, 18-year-old Stef’an Strawder and 14-year-old Sean Archilles, were gunned down and 18 others injured in a shooting outside a nightclub on Evans Avenue early Monday morning. No suspects have been named and law enforcement officials have said they are struggling because witnesses refused to come forward.

Fort Myers Police Department Interim Chief Dennis Eads said on Wednesday that the cycle of violence would not end unless the community stepped up. But while his comments were harsh, on Thursday a few of his officers joined the demonstration.

In a touching moment, a child ran to an officer to ask for help lighting his expired candle. His mother, Khalilah Timmons said she appreciated the gesture and hoped it could help change an old narrative.

“It made me feel good ’cause usually with everything that happened with recent events, he was scared of police and law enforcement,” she said. “But I think by him being out here and seeing, you know, everybody coming together is just reassuring him. It made him feel like the ones that are out there, you know all of them aren’t bad.”

State Rep. Heather Fitzenhagen said that though the Club Blu shooting hit home, it presented an opportunity.

“I was sad that it was homegrown tragedy but at least that being said it gives us the opportunity to do something about it,” she said.

Abdul’Haq Muhammed, the director of the Quality Life Center, noted the significance of the vigil’s location, pointing to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s struggle for peace as a blueprint. He said he is working to continue the dialogue from the vigil with city leaders.