Vigil held on campus in honor of Matthew Shepard
A candle Vigil was held on campus in remembrance of Matthew Shepard on the June 17.
Shepard was brutally beaten in Laramie on October 6, 1998 for being an openly gay man. He passed away a few days later from his wounds.
“It’s a great way to correct misinformation about [Shepard]” Ross Knobloch, a local resident helping out at the event said.
“It also helps everyone else to remember the history of Laramie and realize how dark it can be.”
The night started out by making armbands for participants to wear. These bands were yellow with three green circles painted on them.
Afterward, the group congregated outside at Simpsons Plaza where the vigil began.
There were moments of silence for Shepard and others followed by several speakers.
Then attendees walked over to the Shepard bench in front of the Art and Science where fake candles were placed followed by a final moment of silence.
The event ended with a reflection period where people could discuss how they felt after.
No one at the Vigil knew Shepard personally, but one of the speakers was on campus when he died.
Rebekah Smith, the Director of the Wyoming Women’s Foundation, graduated from UW in 1999 and was a student at the time of Shepards death.
“We were not that,” Smith said.
“We were not a community of hate.”
Shepard was a student at UW, age 21.
On October 6 1998, Shepard was lured from the Fireside Lounge by two men in their early twenties by offering him a ride home.
Instead, the two took Shepard to a rural area outside of Laramie, robbed him, beat him, and tortured him, leaving him to die tied on a nearby barbed wire fence.
Shepard was found 18 hours after the attack by Aaron Kreifels in a comatose state. His face was brutalized beyond recognition covered in blood aside from the two clear streaks across his face washed away by his tears.
He was immediately put on life support after he was found, only to die six days later at 12:59 am on October 12.
After learning about Shepard, the community staged a candlelight vigil, as did many others across the nation. They made yellow armbands with green circles as a sign of solidarity.
The tradition continues to this day, remembering not only Matthew Shepard but all marginalized folks who lost their lives.
“We all need a place to hurt in order to heal,” Eric Quallen, a speaker at the vigil said.
Special mention was also given to Robbie Ramierez during the event.
Ramierez was wrongfully shot by a police officer after being pulled over for driving under the speed limit in 2018.
This was followed by the names of trans and nonbinary people who suffered fatal violence and the unarmed victims of police violence.
