‘All Lives Matter’: Beaufort group works to engage community

Trimeka Smalls saw up close the result of a spate of violence in Beaufort last year.

As an apprentice embalmer at Marshel’s Wright-Donaldson Home for Funerals, she assisted in laying to rest multiple murder victims and saw the resulting effect on families. So Smalls responded when Mayor Billy Keyserling issued a call to action at Henry Frazier’s funeral last year.

Frazier was shot to death on Christmas Eve. In the wake of his death, community members — including Smalls and Frazier’s sister, Jerri — have organized three events in Washington Street Park, with more planned.

The events target the city’s young people who otherwise don’t have much to do. Options have been limited recently, including reduced programs at the Charles Lind Brown Activity Center on Greene Street, Keyserling said.

“We’re trying to get them to play together without having them fight and shoot each other,” Smalls said. “We’re trying to bring love back in the community.

“We’re trying to bring beautiful Beaufort back.”

Twelve people were murdered in northern Beaufort County in 2015. The county’s total of 17 was the most in at least 20 years.

The downtown events this year aren’t the first time the community has organized in response to violence. “Beaufort Strong” formed after the shooting death of Steven Brown on Oct. 31, 2015, and planned events, including a candlelight vigil, were held in Washington Street Park.

Keyserling plans to meet with a group of area religious leaders and said he has talked with Police Chief Matt Clancy about a forum for open conversation between the community and police.

The most recent gathering this year was Sunday, hours after three law-enforcement officers were shot and killed in Baton Rouge.

There were games, a water slide, hot dogs and hamburgers, a nail-painting station and music.

“It was an uplifting experience at a very down time for the country,” Keyserling said.

A group of Beaufort police officers, including Clancy and Deputy Chief Dale McDorman, mingled with the group and played basketball with children.

Someone hung a blue banner reading “All Lives Matter.”

Beaufort County Coroner Ed Allen was among those to speak. Allen, who is black, supported the event’s “All Lives Matter” message and said he talked to some of the children about respect for those older than them.

Allen talked to the group about his job as coroner and having to notify families about the death of loved ones.

“It doesn’t matter whether the victim is white, black, Hispanic or what, it’s still a life that’s lost, and that family is impacted,” Allen said. “We need to start getting involvement from people in the community, looking out for young people.”

A back-to-school event is planned for Aug. 6 in Parkview Apartments, where Smalls said children have no outlet for their energy. There will be free haircuts, food and school supplies given away.

The community is invited, white and black, Smalls said.

“It takes everybody to bring love into the community,” she said. “We’ve got to stop hating.”

This story was originally published July 19, 2016 at 5:02 PM with the headline "‘All Lives Matter’: Beaufort group works to engage community."