Buses Used As Reminders Of Violence
A poster with photographs of 15 Peorians who died a violent death are attached to the outside of City-Link buses No. 1603 and No. 1713. The routes change daily so the posters will travel throughout the community, reminding people in every neighborhood of the legacy, futility and grief of violence.
It's part of a campaign planned by Yolanda Wallace to promote healing and reconciliation for families of people who died a violent death and for a community struggling to make sense of its violent nature. The movie posters will be on buses through Sept. 30.
Wallace is the mother of Jn Buckley, 20, who died Sept. 20, 2006, after being shot in front of his apartment on Linn Street.
Wallace has organized a National Day of Remembrance for families and friends of those who have died by violence. The wider community is urged to attend. The event starts at 5 p.m. Sept. 26 at the RiverPlex Recreation & Wellness Center.
"It's very important to find a community of connections with others when we are dealing with grief," said Christopher Rybak, professor of educational leadership and human development at Bradley University.
He knew a student at Bradley who spoke of finding connection with a greater community after a family member died and became an organ donor. The student felt healing and connection through everyone who received an organ.
"We all need to find ways to process grief. Some of those ways are separate and private from other people, but a lot of healing must happen in community," Rybak said.
Last year, he was in Nepal studying traditional Nepalese ceremonies and rituals. In Peoria he works with Seven Circles Heritage Center focusing on American Indians and their traditions.
"Both of those cultures have lots of powerful rituals and ceremonies. In our society we don't have those rituals in place to acknowledge death," Rybak said. "That makes it hard, being without the resources to grieve. And even the rituals we do have are completed in three days then nothing after that."
Many traditional cultures have annual events every year following a death, he said. The process of grieving is not finite.
"Maybe grieving is not ever done," he said.
Death by violence can leave family and friends bitter and wounded, Wallace said.
"Whether people have gone one year or 20 years after a death, reconciliation and healing come from reaching out to people," she said.
The man who murdered her son was sentenced to 71 years in prison. Asked after the sentencing if she felt pleased, Wallace said, "It doesn't give me much comfort. I thought that it would, but it didn't."
Since her son was killed, her healing process has involved working full time at OSF Hospice and volunteering with her Neighborhood Watch organization.
She speaks out regularly against street violence. In addition to grieving the murder of her son, she struggled to pay $8,000 in funeral expenses and has hosted a seminar at The Dream Center on financial planning for an unexpected death. She is a member of Parents of Murdered Children meeting in Bloomington, and she tries to make herself available to people struggling with grief after the violent death of a loved one.
The bus posters took planning and work. Every family member had to be contacted. Photographers were needed for each victim.
"Getting photos of victims was rough. You have to be so sensitive. There is still a lot of pain," she said. "For every person who died because of violence, there are families and friends. Once a person's child has been killed, that person goes into a new kind of life. They are vulnerable. For me, the only way to get through this is not focusing on myself but on the families of other victims."
Wallace said the 15 victims pictured on the bus posters represent countless more.
"When tragedy hits one person in a family, it hits us all," she said. "There is an increase in teen pregnancy and in sickness because you just give up on regular routines... because an atmosphere has been created where no one cares."
Wallace's son graduated from Peoria High School. She went back to the school to speak.
"I asked how many people know someone affected by violent crime, and 90 percent of the auditorium raised their hands," Wallace said. "They are all dealing with grief. My daughter and I have been at this for four years. We are working at this, but my heart just pours and pours and pours for others."
She is hoping the National Day of Remembrance becomes an annual event.
"I'm just happy to be in unity with others across our community dealing with this," Wallace said.
August 23, 2010
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