At vigil for Jeremy Mardis: 'We need to keep this alive'

Injustice. Corruption. Greed. Power.

The anger of many in a community rocked by the death of a 6-year-old boy at the hands law enforcement officers last November was evident at Saturday night's "Rally for Jeremy" in Marksville. Just as evident was the ongoing heartbreak for an innocent life lost and the family that loved him.

"He was special," said Samantha Few, Jeremy's grandmother. "If you were down, he always cheered you up. He would come up to you and say, 'Gimme a hug.'"

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"We need to keep this alive," said Joanna Armand with Avoyelles Watchdogs for Justice, which was organized in the aftermath of Jeremy's death and organized Saturday's event. "This parish is corrupted, and we don't want this swept under the rug like other horrible crimes have been swept under the rug."

Jeremy Mardis died on Nov. 3 when a pair of Marksville Ward 2 deputy marshals allegedly discharged as many as 18 shots into the car he was in with his father, Chris Few. The marshals had been pursuing Few's car for unknown reasons. The Associated Press reported body cam footage showed Few, who was badly injured in the incident, with his hands up when the shooting started.

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Norris Greenhouse Jr. and Derrick Stafford have both been indicted on charges of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder.

Saturday's event was part rally, part vigil.

Pictures of Jeremy filled a small table. His grandmothers read poems that promised to reunite the little boy with his loved ones. There were prayers and hymns. Participants held candles in his memory.

"I now you've all heard plenty of stories about what a special child Jeremy was and how much we loved him," said Cathy Mardis, the boy's other grandmother. "I dearly, dearly miss him. He was such a loving and special little boy."

Armand recalled her own child coming to her after the tragedy and asking, "'Mom, I'm 6 years old, too. Do I deserve to die?' My words to him were there's not a child on this earth who deserves to die."

"The vast majority of law enforcement sign up because they want to serve the communities they live in," Armand said. "We know that. They are part of an honorable profession. But we also know the names of those whose lives have been treated with callous indifference, here in Avoyelles Parish, here in Louisiana, here in the United States. As uncomfortable and ugly as this reality may be, our elected officials and law enforcement must be held to a higher standard."