This site displays photos of makeshift memorials that spontaneously arise after individuals are killed by violence in Oakland. Each site of a killing is photographed whether or not a memorial is found there....

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Joseph E. Lee, #40

Joseph E. Lee, 22
Killed 5/30/07 12:40 am
2100 block of 13th Ave
Gun



"You Gotta Ask His Mom"
I arrived at this site the day after the homicide. It was by far the largest memorial I had seen to date. There were over 20 young men, all Asian, hanging out in front of the memorial, lighting incense, burning paper money, placing styrofoam containers full of food, and pouring liquor in cups on the ground. As I approached and asked if I could take some pictures, I was coolly told by a couple guys I needed to get the family's consent. Although some there said "It's cool, he's doin' a good thing", I decided to return later.
The following day the entire memorial was gone, presumably removed by police. The cross and tagging were the only remaining evidence of a memorial...

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

According to a couple of staff members at Lincoln Elementary, this guy was an alumni at the school. It would be interesting to track where the victims went to school.

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teladria said...

I am reading this 9 years later. Joe was my step son and he went ti Edna Brewer before he moved back with his mom in the SRO in downtown Oakland. I contacted a minister in my chuch when his sister told me how the Oakland police harassed my step son's mourners. Rev Jacqueline told me she would talk to the OPD Chaplin about the problem. Not only were those very sad young people made to feel bad but his memorial was desecrated by OPD. To this day, I have always mistrusted how OPD treat our young people and people of colot.