The community gathered at the behest of the Congoes Junkanoo group to commemorate the slain four

Senator Fred Mitchell sent this message

27 December 2018

Freedom Park

Thank you to the Original Congoes for holding this memorial service and asking me to speak. I am sorry I am unable to be with you in person but I am certainly there in spirit.

I thank Tammi Ferguson Culmer for agreeing to read this short statement for me.

I remember the night like yesterday. I had just landed in Los Angels to see my friend Sidney Poitier and the phone went off over and over again. I ignored it at first but it was too persistent so I answered it. It was Laverne McPhee now Gray on the phone. She told me what had happened. I immediately turned around and came back home. The evening after we gathered with the religious community to mark the tragedy.

Suffice it to say the lives of all of us in Fox Hill have changed so much. It will never be the same. Those four lives were lost for no good reasons.

What is even sadder is that our justice system after five years is unable to bring one person to justice. This does further violence to the families of those who lost their loved ones.

These people were not just my constituents. They were my friends. It was a great loss.

Unfortunately the violence has not stopped.

But I am grateful to the leadership of the Congoes. They continue to persevere. I’m sure that the community appreciates how junkanoo and the Congoes are holding things together. I know God will richly bless the Congoes.

My fraternal and paternal love appreciation and affection goes out to the entire community on this sad day of remembrance.

Let us resolve in our lives to do the things that make for peace and build up the common life. May the piece of the lord be always with you.

Amen