[dropcap]I[/dropcap]had attended Sir Arthur Lewis Community College with him for just two years. We were never close friends, but my initial shock upon learning of his violent death was: “But Botham was such a nice person.” As if bad things did not happen to nice people. His humility was what I most remember. He was always approachable, always ready for a good laugh. There was hardly a time when there wasn’t a smile on his face. While his mother always appears strong and resilient during her TV interviews, it is not difficult to imagine the difference behind closed doors with her grieving family.
It’s no secret that the 26-year-old was heavily involved with his church, even as a boy growing up in Saint Lucia. A young woman I spoke to referred to Botham as her “brother in Christ.” She said she was finding it difficult to cope with her emotions since receiving the bad news. She said she was on her way to join her fellow church members and members of the Jean family in a night of prayer—an activity that they’ve engaged in since Botham’s passing.
One of Botham’s aunts had a difficult time coming to terms with what had happened. “It’s been a trying time for us,” she said. “There are just two words I can think of to describe what we’re trying to deal with: unbearable grief.” She said she had not been following the several vigils at home and abroad: “It’s just an emotional time for me.”
A small coalition of local activists known now as the “Justice For Botham team” arranged a special welcome yesterday for the Jean family on their return home from Texas, where Botham was killed in his own home by a female police officer. They encouraged communities and schools to line the route from Vieux Fort to Castries, bearing placards, Saint Lucian flag colours and Botham’s own favourite colour—red.
One of the organizers, Chantal Antoine, in a recent interview, underscored the importance of showing solidarity with the Jean family: “They’ve been abroad, surrounded by amazing support everywhere but we want for when they arrive in Saint Lucia that they feel our presence and they know for a fact that we are with them for the long run.”
The official funeral ceremony for Botham Shem Jean will take place at the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Castries on Monday next week.
