As neighbors who are actively invested in the future being created for the children of Grand Rapids, we share in the grief, trauma and frustration being felt across the community in the wake of the police-involved shooting death of Patrick Lyoya.
Patrick’s family came to the United States from the Democratic Republic of Congo seeking safety and tranquility. Now, less than a decade later, his parents face the unconscionable pain of burying him, while his children face a future absent his guiding presence. They join the thousands of families across the country who have lost a loved one in interactions with police over the past year.
We stand alongside the hundreds of neighbors who marched with the Lyoya family over the weekend, cognizant that the trauma and fear induced by his death ripple throughout the city and reverberate through every community where the systems at play disrupt the possibilities of an equitable future for children and families.
