The 16-year-old Curtis High School student died of respiratory distress May 27, around 4pm, as he and his friends were chased by a group that cops believe was a rival gang.
Many of his grief-stricken friends on Friday wore shirts that said "RIP Poppa" and "Poppa World," a nickname for the teen.
Dayshen was laid out in the casket in red and many attendees also wore this color, claiming it was his favorite.
His mother, Tisha Richardson of South Beach, Staten Island, was too overcome to speak during the funeral service. Before she entered the funeral home she told the Daily News that “today is about me putting my son away, today is about me letting him go.”
Initial reports of Dayshen’s death suggested he was being chased by a racist mob — but later reports from the NYPD disputed that version of events.
Richardson said she doubted her son had been involved in any gang activity.
“Everybody got their own definition on what happened, but no one will ever know the truth,” she said.
Protesters burn flag in front of Staten Island stationhouse
“It’s just another child gone, they're gonna say what they want to say, no matter how many times I say my son wasn't like that,” she said.
Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, 43, who died in 2014 on Staten Island after police put him in a chokehold, also attended the service.
She said she wanted to support Richardson through the pain of losing a son.
Rev. Al Sharpton arrived to speak at the funeral and said he had spoken to the Staten Island District Attorney about the investigation.
Sharpton showed up even though the family of Muhammed Ali also planned to honor the famous boxer that same afternoon with a ceremony Sharpton was expected to attend.
“I promised, the National Action Network has promised to stand with this family and seek a fair investigation and justice … I wanted to be here to keep my commitment, I think the champ would want me to do that ... I hope that the prosecutors understand that we're not going to let this go," he told reporters.
Staten Island teen dies from asthma while fleeing racist crew
After the service, some of Dayshen’s friends gathered to play music and dance.
“Poppa was the bro, we knew each other for mad long ... He was a fun person, he always made it fun. There was nothing but good vibes. He was a good person, we love Poppa,” said Jaydah Flack, 16, a classmate of the fallen teen.
read more
No comments:
Post a Comment