They say there is no grief greater than a parent who has lost a child. When Montclair student and apple of his mother’s eye Deshon Johnson was hit by a Coach bus and killed in July, 2012, his mother Naomi almost gave up on her own life as well.
Deshon Johnson was run down and killed at the age of 22, and though the family is convinced he was not "rushing" to catch the bus (he was early, as they say video proves), no charges were brought against the Coach bus driver in his death. At the time of his death, Deshon was working, attending college and also caring for his mother, Naomi, who was home due to being injured in an accident that left her disabled and needing full-time assistance.
The family started a scholarship fund, in honor of Deshon, who was a singer, writer and artist. Though his death did not result in any charges of misdoing, after a grand jury heard the case, the family believes Deshon was the victim of wrongdoing, and are still working to investigate on their own.
And, as is the tradtition across the U.S, on the anniversary of Deshon’s untimely and tragic death, his mother and friends and family set up a memorial, complete with flowers and photos to honor him and ask the public to remember his short yet meaningful life.
But on the very day afterwards, when the flowers were still as fresh as this mother’s grief will always be, the entire memorial was missing - taken down by the township of Bloomfield.
“On July 18, 2014 I had a Remember Deshon Johnson Gathering Honoring him,” said Naomi Johnson. “There were a few people at the vigil where we paid tribute to Deshon. Do you know I went back to the site on July 19, 2014 and the memorial was removed? I went to local businesses and asked if someone had seen who disturbed his memorial.”
Sure enough, someone had.
“One of the workers at the Nursery said that they saw the town cleaner over in the area of my son's memorial,” continued Naomi Johnson. “They did not let my son’s memorial stay there a week. I think it is inhuman and heartless to trash my son’s memorial.”
Calls to the Bloomfield Administrator, (2), the town clerk (2, one with this reporter speaking to someone who promised to find out what happened) were not returned. However, the DPW and Parks director Anthony Nesto called to say he sends his deepest condolences to the family, and that he had no idea about the memorial being put up - or taken down.
"My condolences and prayers are for your loss," he noted. "I had no idea this memorial was done in his honor. I did not know about it and did not direct a clean up of the memorial."
A study of Bloomfield’s ordinances did not show ANY law prohibiting memorials, and only last year a prominent memorial for teens killed in a tragic car accident remained up for over a week in town.
To this grieving mother, the town - if indeed Bloomfield is responsible - is acting in a heartless manner.
“The town of Bloomfield sends off a negative message that my son’s life and memory is trash,” she said. “My son Deshon Johnson’s life ended on Wednesday July 18, 2012 on Broad and Bay Avenue when the bus driver knocked my son down and dragging him 50 to 100 feet to his death.”
However, with the DPW director and head of parks saying he was not in the loop, it is unclear who took down this memorial so quickly.
Updates to follow.
