No peace, no rest
13-year-old dirt bike rider killed while being followed by police; funeral attended by high-profile, racially-charged deaths attorney
BOYNTON BEACH — Hundreds of mourners gathered Saturday at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Boynton Beach to honor the life of Stanley Davis III, the 13-year-old dirt bike rider who died on Dec. 26 after being chased by a Boynton Beach police officer.
And the crowd, led by Davis’ parents, Stanley Davis Jr. and Shannon Thompson, community leaders, and high-profile attorney Ben Crump, said they won’t rest until they get justice for young Stanley, who was nicknamed, “S.J.”
Davis Jr. called his son “the right child and the wrong child,” meaning he touched many lives but had an unfortunate ending to his life. He talked about the lessons he taught his son such as he didn’t get to cut to the front of the snow cone line just because his father was serving.
“Just because you’re my son doesn’t mean you can come up to the front,” Davis said he told S.J.
Davis also expressed his appreciation for the outpouring of support the family has received.
“I see the love in Boynton Beach,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like this, and I’ve been here my whole life.”
Thompson expressed her pride in her son and the dismay someone would harm her child.
“I’m here today, and every day, to let my son know I’m here to deal with it,” she said.
“He took the only thing I had,” she said, pausing to fight tears. “Our son meant everything to me.”
S.J. died after being followed by a Boynton Beach police officer, losing control of his dirt bike, a Christmas present, and hitting a median in the 800 block of North Federal Highway.
It’s not known why the officer was following S.J.
Boynton Beach police haven’t named the officer involved in the pursuit.
S.J., an Honor Roll student at Galaxy Elementary School, was a seventhgrader at Congress Middle School. He played baseball and football for the Boynton Beach Wildcats/Bulldogs.
Some in the overflow crowd wore motorcycle apparel such as long-sleeve shirts to honor S.J. while others wore football jerseys to honor their fallen teammate. Still others wore specially-designed shirts with messages such as “Ride in Peace” or “Long Live Stanley” or “Justice for S.J.”
Minutes before the ceremony began a few motorcyclists, ATV riders and people in slingshots, the three-wheel vehicles, drove up to the church.
Some at the funeral seemed reassured by Crump’s presence.
Crump, who has represented the families of Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Jacob Blake in high-profile, racially-charged deaths, spoke and prayed with family members before Saturday’s funeral.
“I think we need to hold this officer accountable for the death of Stanley Davis III,” said attorney Jasmine Rand, one of Crump’s co-attorneys.
Rand said the officer who pursued S.J. has had highspeed pursuits of two other African Americans.
“The high-speed chases are obviously a violation of Boynton Beach Police Department policy,” Rand said.
She said they also want to know why the unnamed officer hasn’t been fired for violating policy.
“Ben and I are here today to hold this officer and the city of Boynton Beach responsible for the death of Stanley Davis III,” she said, adding, “We’re here to continue fighting to ensure Black Life is treated equally throughout our country.”