During this walk as the mother of a murder victim, I have met many families who are having issues with Philadelphia Police Department’s Homicide Detective Unit. My question is why?
At community gatherings as well as meetings with Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, I’ve asked this question. Why are parents being re-victimized by the ones who took an oath to serve and protect us?
We watch the news and see others being inducted into this club no one wants to be a part of. We grieve for that family because we know what they will face, especially when it comes to the Philadelphia Homicide Unit.
On July 5, 2017, my life as I knew it ended. I’m now forced to live a life without my son. My son’s murder continues to remain unsolved, and it seems as if the Philadelphia Homicide Unit doesn’t care.
When his murder first occurred, the first set of Homicide Detectives assigned to his case were very unsympathetic to our family. You see, we were in shock, hurt, and confused all at the same time. We felt vulnerable as we had to make funeral arrangements for our child as well as answer questions to someone who passed judgment on our family and our deceased family member.
The detectives gave us a card with a phone number on it. When one calls the number, most of the time the detective is unavailable. The person that answers the call takes your information, but you never receive a call back. We spend hours upon days trying to get in touch with the assigned detectives. I’m here to tell you that they do have a supervisor, so don’t be afraid to ask to speak to the supervisor.
Most people give up and internalize their feelings, which leads to depression as well as other health issues. We try counseling but fail because we are not ready to accept that our child will never come through our doors again.
After a while we try counseling again when we realize our child’s death is affecting not just ourselves but the people closest to us. We decide to reach out to the assigned detectives once again, only to get let down. If they answer your call, they will say, “Miss. Kamara, we are working on it and right now there is no movement on the case. We will contact you when we have something.” Again we feel defeated and go back into our depression.
After being inducted into this club no one wants to be in, we go back into a depression. As a mother of a murder victim, this makes us feel victimized by the Homicide Detectives all over again, year after year. My job as a mother didn’t stop when my son took his last breath. I know that my job has just begun. Now I’m his voice and will continue to fight to get justice for his murder.
This is a letter that I wrote a month ago and will send it to Commissioner Outlaw along with others because it’s truly sad to see the murder rates go up, and our top officials are not on the same page with ensuring families are not re-victimized by the Homicide Detectives.
A lot of families whose children were murdered will have a similar story to tell. I know this because I receive phone calls from other parents who are in pain like me. I have to be a voice not just for my son but for other parents whose children’s murders remain unsolved.
Please, parents, write letters about your experience and send them to the Commissioner and other top officials so our voices can be heard.
Good Day Commissioner Outlaw,
I’m writing to you in reference to a meeting I attended on Wednesday, October 27, 2021 at the Guardian Civic League, along with Deputy Commissioner Naish and Chief Inspector Vanore and yourself. Also at that meeting were several other grieving mothers. We gathered to discuss our expectations.
Unfortunately, my son Niam K. Johnson- Tate was shot on July 4, 2017 and died from his injuries on July 5, 2017 at Temple University Hospital after being transferred from Roxborough Memorial Hospital.
Since then, life has not been the best for my family or myself. Each day we live knowing my son’s killer continues to roam the streets living among others to kill again, which will bring more broken families as well as retaliation by others.
Two days after the meeting, Sergeant Horn reached out to me stating he was going to change the detective on my son’s case to one that would be more effective with communication. With some hesitation, I agreed, and to this day I haven’t heard from him or the new detective for my son’s case despite calling and leaving numerous messages.
This is a major issue that we as parents and family members have to go through on a daily basis. This raises my anxiety as well as my disappointment in the whole judicial system that has stood to serve and protect us.
I’m urging the people in these positions to do a more effective job, and to be considerate of others in this place of loss of hopelessness. It’s a disgrace to see and experience such non- compassionate, unethical practices towards many families throughout the so-called city of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection.
I can be reached at (phone number) at your earliest convenience so that we can further discuss this issue at hand.
Sincerely,
Kimberly Kamara
Kimberly Kamara is the author of “Where’s My Daddy,” a children’s book aimed at kids who’ve lost a parent to murder. The book was inspired by her family’s continuing journey of grief after her son, Niam Johnson-Tate, lost his life to gun violence on July 5, 2017. Kimberly has two daughters and lives in Germantown with her husband.
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