Memorials to slain teen discussed
As published on page three of the August 3, 2011 edition of The Keene Sentinel, and online.
A little over a week after the stabbing death of a Keene High School student in downtown Keene, some area residents are searching for a way to permanently memorialize the slain youth as an alternative to the graffiti that has appeared since he died.
Spray-painted messages commemorating Craig Metivier, 17, appeared around town last week on both public and private property, eliciting a number of calls to police and raising the ire of some downtown residents and business owners.
But now some are wondering about the possibility of a sanctioned public memorial.
"These kids aren't going to get over this unless they have a memorial ... where they can mourn in their own way," said Lorri T. Rodier of Swanzey, whose son was friends with Metivier.
Metivier was killed on Dunbar Street in Keene on July 24. Ethan Wilson, 19, faces a charge of second-degree murder in Metivier's death.
Rodier proposes erecting an engraved stone memorial at Carpenter Field, she said.
Another suggestion can be found in a petition, which has been circulating since the days immediately following Metivier's death, asking the city to allow his friends to paint a mural in his memory at the Keene Skate Park on Gilbo Avenue.
On Monday afternoon, petition organizer Chyna Glinka, 19, of Keene had collected nearly 500 signatures.
Any permanent memorial will need the approval of the Keene City Council, according to Andrew S. Bohannon, who oversees the skate park as the city's director of parks, recreation and cemeteries.
On Tuesday afternoon, a police officer saw a man painting a portrait of Metivier on the back of one of the ramps and called Bohannon to the park.
He told the police he said he would allow the painter to work alone to finish the painting and leave it up at the park temporarily.
Bohannon has not yet seen the petition for the permanent memorial, he said, and will make his recommendation when it comes before the council.
In the meantime, however, he said it was "disappointing" that the park's skateboard ramps are now covered in graffiti.
Some park users have complained about the spray painting, he said, and it creates a negative impression among non-skaters as well.
"When the community sees this, they lose respect for the park," Bohannon said, gesturing to the scrawled "R.I.P." messages.
He hopes to work with the police to identify the people who painted the messages, he said, so those people can take responsibility -- either by paying a fine or repainting the ramps.
Police say they have no suspects at this time.
tagged with: Craig Metivier, vandalism
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