Photo courtesy of vigil organizer Khloe Evett.
BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week
OGDENSBURG — Many Ogdensburg residents came together to hold a vigil for Bryson Jenks who was stabbed to death on Patterson Street recently by a parolee with a violent past.
Jenks’ death sent a shockwave through the community as he was just 19 years old.
At the vigil members of the community gathered and lit candles in his memory, those who knew him shared stories, others attended as a means of helping the community heal.
A small memorial was also constructed at Hamilton Park.
Ogdensburg has been reeling with loss of the community members as well. Another community vigil was held just weeks before.
It was organized by Khloe Evett.
“Bryson was a sweet boy. He would give the shirt off of his back to anyone. He always searched for the best in people and was the most polite kid you ever could have met! His passing was a tragic loss to the whole community! He will be greatly missed and I can only pray he is at peace now with his mother and all my condolences go out to his family and friends. He deserved all the love that was shown to him at the vigil and I hope it brought some closure to people as a way to say goodbye,” she said.
At a recent council meeting Margaret Haggerty spoke about various problems in the city including a perceived increase in violence. She called on the community to come together and asked officials to assist.
“Where is our leadership in all this chaos?” She asked.
Haggerty is a member of the Ogdensburg community group Stronger Together, which supports emergency services in the area and performs community advocacy.
She did not organize the event, but in a recent social media post she offered appreciation for those who attended.
“Ogdensburg, we’ve experienced so much challenge over the past few years, moreso in the past few months. Please accept my sincere condolences on the recent and remote deaths that prompted a meaningful vigil last week….
Read the full article here