Oct 17, 2007 5:21 pm US/Eastern
N.J. Man's Makeshift Memorial Torn Down
Newark Murder Victim One Of Many
NEWARK (CBS) ―
He's known as the "Street Doctor," and he's raised more than $50,000 in reward money for information leading to the arrests of the supsects responsible for the murders of three college students in Newark - now his own young cousin has become a murder victim.
And you wouldn't believe the pain his family had to go through Wednesday.
There was outrage on the streets after a memorial for a young man murdered in Newark was torn down.
CBS 2 was at the makeshift shrine for an exclusive interview with Robin Canzater, heart-broken aunt of 23-year-old Sutan Johnson, a victim of violence. Upon arriving, balloons were flying away from the memorial. That's when the family of the young man reacted.
Robin told CBS 2 she had gone to the memorial to place a picture of a her nephew to then find the balloons missing.
"Only 23-years-old, and the city ordered them to remove this…that's not right," she said.
It turns out, witnesses say, a Sanitation Department supervisor dismantled the memorial to Johnson. Apparently, no reason was specified. But sanitation workers found at the scene told CBS 2 they stood up to the superior when they were ordered to bring down the shrine.
"We refused to do it, we want no part of it," said Sanitation Department employee Gary Brown.
So the supervisor took matter into his own hands and let the balloons go. Afterwards he refused questions and made no comments on his actions.
Most outraged was Sutan's cousin and non-violence advocate, the "Street Doctor."
"When you all pulled up the guy jumped in the truck and ran. You don't take balloons down…That's how they do for the dead in Newark, they get balloons," he said.
"I'm hurting again, two days before his funeral, two days. I just want to say this; we need to do something about the murders in Newark, we need to put closure on all of them," said Robin.
Sutan's family replaced the balloon and received an apology from the head of the Public Works Department. They would not tell CBS 2 however, why this happened.
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