VIDEO ESSAY: CANDLELIGHT VIGIL JUNE 28, 2015

On June 28, 2015, at H.K. Matthews Park in Pensacola, Florida, Ms. Cindy Martin, Montclair on a Mission, and Mr. Ellison Bennett, chapter president of the National Movement for Human and Civil Rights, headed by Reverend H.K. Matthews, held a candlelight vigil to call attention to the families of unsolved murders and disappearances. and, to request that anyone with any information that would help solve these murders and disappearances to please come forward and do the right thing.

Four mothers of lost souls made presentations--Ms. Lucy Amos (Mr. Blair Amos), Ms. Rosa Dukes (Mr. Brock Johnson), Ms. Cindy Martin (Mr. Matthew Cox), and Ms. Lavon Brown (Mr. Labar Brown).  All of the mothers spoke of their pain that can neither be described by words nor understood by anyone who has not lost a child, and, pleaded with any perpetrators or witnesses who know something about these and other crimes to please come forward, even anonymously to Crime Stoppers.

Reverend Lee E. Middleton, Jr. of the Alpha & Omega Missionary Baptist Church, gave the invocation and served as master of ceremonies.  His daughter, Ms. Shakita Middleton, sang a gospel song.

Imam Abdul Mando of the Al-Islam Dawah Center gave a rousing speech on the moral compasses of individuals and a community, and offered his support to community-wide efforts to address violent crime in Pensacola.  Reverend Willie Demps, of the S.L. Jones Christian Academy was a guest speaker.  Reverend H.K. Matthews gave the keynote address.  His interview with WEAR TV-3 was covered in a previous CJ's Street Report.  Mr. Anthony Brice was kind enough to provide the complete video coverage of Reverend Matthew's speech.

The only video presentation not included is that of the family representatives of the Atlanta Five, Ms. Nelda Walker and Ms. Janice Cameron.  I apologize to the Atlanta Five, but I ran out of memory on my digital camera.

On November 29, 1974, five Black men from Atlanta--Mr. Robert Walker, Mr. Marvin Walker, Mr. Lee Roy Holloway, Mr. John Sterling, and Mr. Lonnie Merritt--traveled from Atlanta, Georgia, to Pensacola, Florida, to fish, an event Mr. Robert Walker did every weekend.  They were murdered by person(s) unknown.  The Escambia County Sheriff's Office did not begin to discover the men's bodies until Dr. Ralph Abernathy, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, threatened to come to Pensacola and open the SCLC's own investigation.  Their murders remain unsolved to this day and the family requests that anyone knowing or having heard something that would lead to the perpetrators to please come forward.

Below, are videos in the order of the speakers.  Some of the presentations start on one video and finish on a subsequent video.

Rev. Middleton, Ms. Lucy Amos, and Ms. Rosa Dukes

Ms. Rosa Dukes, Ms. Lavon Brown, Ms. Cindy Martin, and Imam Mando

Imam Mando, Rev. Demps, and Rev. Matthews (incomplete)

Rev. H.K. Matthews (complete)