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While remembering TyRon Lewis, some say things have slid backward

By GRAHAM BRINK, Times Staff Writer
Published October 25, 2006

For Jeff Blocker, the wound opened 10 years ago will never close.

But remembering TyRon Lewis, his nephew, and what happened after his death helps assuage the loss, even if only temporarily.

"It's a reminder of where we were and how far we have to go," he said.

Blocker was one of about 85 people who showed up Tuesday evening to commemorate Lewis at the gym that now bears his name. Ten years ago - on Oct. 24, 1996 - a white St. Petersburg police officer shot Lewis to death during a traffic stop, sparking the worst street violence in the city's history.

Community leaders, friends and members of the gym joined Lewis' family for a buffet dinner Tuesday. Many wore new red T-shirts that read: St. Pete will never forget.

Judy Robinson said she was encouraged by some of the changes the community fought for after the civil disturbances that followed the shooting. In recent years, she's grown discouraged. Economic progress has been slow and the legal system still churns through too many black men, she said.

Remembering Lewis and what happened to him remains important even 10 years later, she added.

"So many young black men have been killed and just thrown away," she said.

Blocker said he's less hopeful about the community than he was after the shooting.

"It has been 10 more years of the same thing," he said. "It's hard to be hopeful about that."

The gym provides some solace, he said.

"It allows people to remember what happened," he said. "It allows us to come together as a community."

[Last modified October 25, 2006, 08:47:55]