The Big Story
Joys and Sorrows: the Charles John Eimers Memorial
The main joy was in seeing so many people who never met the man show up and honor him at the place on the beach where our police killed him one year before. The joy was in reading an uplifting note from his kids, saying he liked to be called “Charles John” and describing all the ways he richly enjoyed life and helped others do so. In the online version of this column, it will be copied in full.
An especially healing joy was seeing some of our civic leaders finally get their heads out of the sand and show they care at all about what happened to this poor man at our hands. Former County Mayor Shirley Freeman and City Commissioners Clayton Lopez and Teri Johnston were NOT there to blame the police or offer a financial settlement to the Eimers. Those issues are for other places and times.
They were there for the reason the other 100 were: Just to show our grief and sympathy for the late Charles John and his children. I applaud what sadly seems to be regarded as bravery, showing sympathy with anyone harmed by the police. Our general civic reaction is to have circled the wagons around the police, with everyone from the daily paper, KWPD leadership, FDLE, Medical Examiner, State Attorney, Grand Jury, Civilian Review Board and the majority of our commissioners.As bad as the initial fatal take-down of Eimers was, at least it was a mistake. I feel sure not an officer there wanted to kill the man. But the crimes afterward were coldly intentional. The Chief chose an investigator renowned for destroying information. The FDLE slow-walked the case, lost evidence, and ignored readily available witness information for a year. The SA’s office carefully stacked the deck by choosing a slick police defender, while instituting a pro forma non-investigation itself. The CRB has ignored my and others’ formal requests for an investigation for a year.
I expect no changes from our police, the FDLE, or CRB. But I think our SA will realize how her office has been betrayed by police and FDLE perjury, and ask another Grand Jury to reexamine the facts.
But Grand Juries are infamous for indicting the weak and sparing the powerful. As I’ve written before, people want to believe in a world where their authorities are not dangers to the community and themselves. And none more so than our leaders who are actually supposed to oversee our police.
It did not surprise me to see no police, SA or prominent civic leaders there—rather I was impressed that the three mentioned above showed up. It did sadly surprise me that no clergy, our ostensible moral leaders, showed up. It shows how deeply the fear of police injustice haunts our populace that despite repeated requests none showed up at something one would think is their métier.
I invited three. All are excellent speakers. I jokingly prodded them by saying if they showed up, I wouldn’t have to sing Amazing Grace.
Well none showed (one had a medical disaster) and I ended up having to get more involved than I wanted. Naja Girard said she couldn’t read the Eimers children’s message without crying. The second most active public supporter of Eimers, Sloan Bashinsky, who made the Eimers investigation a distinctive focus of his mayoral campaign, has too quiet a voice to be heard without a mike. So I read it.
After the moving letter, the passing out of candles and brief and heartfelt comments by a small number of speakers, Cynthia and I picked up on a general sense the memorial could close. So I indeed ended up leading a chorus of Amazing Grace.
I say this by way of confession. I so did not want to be a central speaker at the memorial. My solo for the Keys Chorale Dec. 5 is enough public broadcasting to last my ego for a year. I’m happy as a writer and singer. Our clergy are supposed to speak and close memorials. I’m glad that the daily and Sloan did not mention my role, and only the people who read and know me here need to appreciate my doubtful feelings about this.
My greatest sorrow arising from the memorial is that our city’s desire to wish away what should be the lesson of Eimers’ death has penetrated even our moral leaders. I beg them to explain what was more important than attending this ceremony.
A hundred people who didn’t know him did show up. I consider them my moral leaders, and I thank them for upholding my faith in our community.
A Note From Charles John Eimers’ Family to You
Thankyoufororganizingthismemorialforourfather.Andthankstoeveryone,TRULYFROMTHEBOTTOMOFOURHEARTS,forattending.
Charles John, as our father liked to be called, was a loving, tall soul, and a good man. He loved his family deeply and was at his happiest with a grandchild in his arms. The hurt of his absence is still felt daily by his family and close friends.
Charles John enjoyed many of the simpler things in life. He found pleasure and importance in being humbled by Mother Nature. He sought out life experiences that would enrich his environment, as well as himself. He loved to volunteer and help others and often went without, so others would not. He pursued the camaraderie and friendship of what he called ‘good hearted people.’ Certainly, that meant he would have befriended some of you.
He had a passion for warm weather and spirited conversation. And we believe he would have loved Key West. If he were here today, we’re sure he would have gone to the beach so when he talked to us in Michigan, he could rub it in that he spent his Thanksgiving on the beach. That would get a giggle out of Charles John. He loved to joke and laugh. We wish you’d all had a chance to get to know him.
Charles John lives on in spirit and in our hearts. Tonight we’re seeing him live again through the love and honor of those in attendance for him. Our father passed away as the sun went down, and somehow it seemed as if he’d waited to see one more sunset, before he let go. Thank you for bringing our father’sspiritalivetoseeonemoresunsettonight.
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Thank you, Rick,
But for the cold and wind that 61 degree night I would have been there. As it was, I cried watching the video. I found the ceremony, the letter, and the background music very moving. The whole affair is extremely sad, for everyone, and too-little mentioned throughout the national alarm over increasing police violence, is the way all our service workers, – teachers, fire personnel, police, and civil servants, have been squeezed half to death by the recession’s cutbacks, expected to carry bigger workloads, and absorb the still-dwindling value of the dollar in the soft landing.