More than three weeks after Kenji Spurgeon was shot and killed in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, about 30 people gathered at the AIDS Memorial Pathway Wednesday night for a candlelight vigil honoring the black transgender lives recently lost to gun violence.
The vigil was organized by the Lavender Rights Project, a Seattle-based organization that focuses on protecting the rights and dignity of Black people of diverse gender identities.
Spurgeon, 23, was killed shortly before 12:30 a.m. On July 1, on 10th Avenue, south of Cal Anderson Park, few details have been released about what happened. Seattle police spokesman Eric Muñoz said homicide detectives were investigating the case. shot and I don’t think it was targeted.
Jaelynn Scott, executive director of the Lavender Rights Project, said the goal of Wednesday’s vigil was to honor Spurgeon and get more media coverage of their deaths.
“I think we as a community and as an organization have failed Kenji,” she said. “… Our particular calls to action are that we need the city of Seattle, the state of Washington and King County [to] review their budget and ensure that LGBT organizations “continue to be funded.”
A GoFundMe campaign was created by the head of a charter school Spurgeon attended.
“Kenji was a bright light in our lives, known for his infectious smile and quick wit,” said the GoFundMe, set up to help Spurgeon’s family. “Kenji had an extraordinary ability to lift anyone’s spirits with a laugh, a joke, a song or a dance. Kenji inspired us all to seek joy and be cheerleaders for one another.”
Music and poetry performances were held in Spurgeon’s honor as community members gathered around the trail Wednesday. Posters featuring Spurgeon’s face and interests were handed out as speakers shared their desire to end gun violence.
After the speeches and performances, attendees lit candles on the altar for Spurgeon and brought roses to the site of their deaths.
Julian Everett, a community activist, attended the vigil and said he hoped for greater awareness of the lives of black transgender people.
“People should know that Kenji was a person who was in [the] “The community,” he said. “But also, why did it take someone dying for us all to come together? But you also have to understand that if this was a white trans person, the media would have covered it. She would have gotten a huge amount of recognition.”
