Hundreds gathered on a chilly Thursday evening in Belmont’s Cushing Square to speak out against racial hatred and remember Henry Tapia.
Tapia, a 35-year old black and Latino man, was killed in Belmont earlier this week after an apparent road rage incident. The suspect, Dean Kapsalis, allegedly hurled a racial slur before getting in his pickup truck and running Tapia over.
”[Tapia] was a beloved brother, a beloved son, a beloved father,” said Sarah Bilodeau, of the group Community Organized for Solidarity. “His smile could truly light up a room. And we will always remember him for his smile.”
At the vigil, members of Tapia’s family, including his spouse and two of his three children, sat quietly next to a folding table where 12 candles burned near a sign of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his famed words, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Belmont Police Chief James MacIsaac was among a number of public officials who addressed the crowd.
“As police chief, I wish I could tell you that by arresting the suspect in this case that the problem of racial hatred will disappear from our community,” MacIsaac said. “Unfortunately, I don’t have those words.”
Kapsalis remains in custody pending a dangerousness hearing on Monday. Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan has said more charges could be coming.
“We have signs across this town, and everybody here has seen them, [that say] hate has no place here,” Ryan, herself a Belmont resident, said during the vigil. “We have to live what those signs say.“
Ryan was among a number of speakers to say that ending racism in Belmont would require vigilance and work from the entire community. It’s a message that resonated with resident Patricia Garcia.
“I don’t believe something like this could happen here,” said Garcia. ”We’re going to have to bring the town together.”
Garcia, who was born in Mexico, runs a group called Beyond Ferguson that she said is committed to promoting inclusivity and helping end racism in Belmont.
“Belmont has been predominantly white for a long, long time,” she said. “We have been reaching out and actively working on bringing more diversity to Belmont. I think that, from here, we just need to reach out a bit stronger.”
Garcia said she was encouraged to see so many of her neighbors in attendance — and by the response to a Go Fund Me page organized for Tapia’s family, which as of Thursday night had raised more than $60,000, well over it’s initial goal of $10,000.
