South Central, Los Angeles—Sophia Davis held a press confernce outside of Bethune Middle School, demanding answers after someone staged a fake memorial of her 13-year-old autistic son, saying he died by gang violence.
Davis stood outside the South Central school supported by family and friends, telling reporters that her son Jamari Baker fears for his life, and that the Los Angeles Unified School District and Bethune Middle School have not communicated with her following the incident.
I feel like they need to do a full investigation on the staff here and the kids in the classroom. They have not done anything, they were really trying to sweep this under the rug.
Sophia Davis
Davis removed Baker from school following the incident and has decided to explore home schooling options for her son, who had only been attending Bethune Middle School for one month.
The memorial set up on campus was an alter with photos of Baker with the words “R.I.P Jamari Baker.” Candles and cafeteria food including muffins and a banana were placed around his photos.
The memorial was removed by school staff and set up again, according to supporters at the press conference.
Davis says she contacted the school several times and they failed to follow up with her, despite the psychological trauma inflicted upon her son and family with the cruel hoax on Bethune’s campus.
Following the press conference, Davis and her family demanded a meeting with the Principal of Bethune and had a brief discussion in the school’s library.
Bethune Middle School Principal Sharon Brown says the memorial was immediately taken down, although she received intense criticism from Davis’ family, who continue to say not enough has been done following the incident.
“I want to make sure that another parent never has to go through this. No kid should have to go through this. I want Bethune to do a full investigation like I said, because I don’t think the person that did it should be able to get away with this.”
