Bridge-lighting honors homicide victims as grim tally nears
The Memphis-arkansas and the Hernando Desoto bridges lit up in red, white and black Wednesday night in honor of the nearly 300 homicide victims in Memphis this year.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich did not hold the annual Season of Remembrance ceremony this year but instead lit the bridges to recognize the homicide victims in a “safe way.”
“That pursuit of justice and that obtainment of justice never dry those tears, it never fills the holes in those hearts,” Weirich said at a press conference for the bridge lighting. “So in the year where the need was the greatest, we had to find a different way.”
The bridge glowed with the colors for the National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims, which is Sept. 25.
Although the bridge lighting was meant to honor victims, some of the families present did not feel like it was enough.
“It doesn’t bring me any comfort, it doesn’t bring me any peace, it doesn’t bring me no reassurance,” said Mary Adair who lost her brother Tavis Adair to homicide. “If you don’t have the manpower to solve a crime we shouldn’t be celebrating the death of my brother.”
Adair, 40, said her brother was found stripped of his clothes, robbed and dead on the streets of North Memphis in October. She said so far Memphis police do not have a suspect.
“You need to take all these resources, all this time and energy and solve these crimes that prevent crimes from happening,” Adair said with tears in her eyes. “We came out to show support for my brother, but this doesn’t give me comfort, it doesn’t help me sleep at night.”
Adair’s brother is one of the nearly 300 homicide victims this year in Memphis. The district attorney’s tally puts the number of killings at 294, a recordbreaking number surpassing 2016’s total of 228 murders and homicides.
Weirich said Memphis has seen more homicides this year than ever before and “it’s a little disturbing.”
Of this year’s victims, more than 30 of them are children, another record for Memphis, Weirich said.
“We as a community have to lock arms and raise our hands and say enough is enough,” Weirich said. “Until we do, there will not be any change and more families will walk the walk that far too many are walking this year.”
Weirich said this year has seen too many challenges and communities need to “commit to doing more.”
“If you see something say something; if you own a gun be a responsible gun owner, if you’re a parent know where your kids are,” Weirich said. “We can do better.”