Redlights and Redeyes

Saturday was a sad day.  Grey skies never parted and the rain never ceased.

I was sent to cover the final memorial and funeral for Jazmine Thompson - the Bayshore High School cheerleader who was shot and killed last Friday night while riding with friends in a car after her school’s football game.  A lot has happened since then.  The suspect, 18 year-old Daniel Williams, turned himself in to authorities and is charged with second degree murder.  There have been numerous fund-raisers, memorials, and community events.  Media outlets began to latch on.  Dick Vitale, legendary ESPN broadcaster and local resident has stepped up and cover the funeral expenses.

What really hasn’t changed is the grief the family has been through.  Saturday was their day…if you don’t count the 400 who showed up for her funeral.

Interesting how this day shook down from the media angle.  I knew I wanted to cover it anyway I could.  I met the grandmother and mother a few days ago and asked permission to be at the funeral, but they turned down everyone’s request to be inside.  They were ok with us being outside of the church.  I asked privately about the burial and if it was possible that I could be there, and was surprised when I got an “ok.”  When the day actually came, the tv cameras and live trucks showed up, as well as the other papers.  (Side note from my soap box:  I swear to God, if you are a member of the media at a funeral and you are wearing shorts, t-shirts, and/or a baseball cap to a funeral, you should be ashamed.  It makes us all look bad and is about the most disrespectful thing I could ever imagine).  After two hours at the memorial, I was the only media person left standing outside.  I thought for sure when it let out, the tv crews would be back, but no one from the media was there - just me, my camera, and a lot of sullen faces.  I made my frames, hoping that my verbal permission from a few days earlier still stood.  I was the first one at the cemetery.

Upon arrival to the at Skyway Memorial Gardens, I was greeted by the staff there, who instantly said, “no media.” I told them I had permission to be there, so they called the mother on her cell.  I was sure they had changed their minds because, yet again, I was the only one there.  After a few minutes, she let me know I was allowed to be there.  Discretely.  Unfortunately, because of the rain, burial wasn’t an option, so they had to move the even inside the chapel in the mausoleum - an incredibly quiet and intimate room where every camera click sounded like a cannon going off.  I was the only photographer there among a crowd of strangers who I’ve come to know through a viewfinder over the week.  I don’t what it was, but for me, I needed to say goodbye and leave this family be.  On the other hand, I wanted to give the proper respect to the access I was given.  I needed to do it for me, but moreover for this family, who was been great in letting me be around for what I’m sure have been the worst week of their life.  I have no idea what it must be like losing a daughter.  I have two and never want to find out.

Hopefully, when someone Google’s the name of Jazmine Thompson and comes across these photos they get a sense of who she was, what this family and student body was put through,  and how much grief a senseless crime in this community caused.

Past posts on Jazmine can be found here and here.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 14th, 2009 at 2:52 pm and is filed under photos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.