Blog: what happened at Irvo Otieno funeral
2:20 p.m. Caroline Ouko, Otieno’s mother, spoke directly to her late son, calling him a “soldier” and “the man.”“When I took my son to the hospital, this is not what I envisioned,” Ouko said. “Son, this is where we are and I’m sorry.”
"I take the opportunity to say goodbye to my son," she said. She said she did not expect she would not see him again when he was first taken away by police, she said. "You are a man of his words, and those who know him know that.
"You have shown us how to love, how to empathize, how to include. You have shown us how to stand up for what we believe in, and for what is right."
She promises her son, "We will get to the bottom of what happened to you. We will stand for you. We will walk for you."
2:17 p.m. Leon Ochieng, Otieno’s older brother, called Otieno “the big brother I never had.” He said to him, Otieno was the epitome of warmth and grace.“Irvo’s life has given me purpose,” he said.
1:59 p.m. Irvo Otieno's friends and family begin to speak. "He treated people with the utmost respect," says a childhood friend of Irvo's. "He was one of the strongest and most athletic kids I ever played beside."
1:50 p.m. "Nobody calls me to keep a secret," Sharpton said. "Every time you turn the light on, the roaches start running," he says about why he doesn't mind people saying he seeks publicity." Sharpton introduces Ben Crump to speak the Call for Justice.
We cannot treat mental health issues like criminal issues, Crump says.
1:40 p.m. "I salute the prosecutor," Sharpton says. He says he will walk in the courtroom with Irvo's family.
1:37 p.m. Sharpton predicts, "There will be an Irvo Law. There must be an Irvo Law" to protect people in mental health facilities, and respect those worthy of respect.
"The way to handle mental health is not death."
"If the governor wants to run for president, he got to go through Caroline," Sharpton said, referring to Irvo's mother.
1:30 p.m. "When you got folk being stampeded" by law enforcement, Sharpton says, how can the governor put on a vest and a smile on the campaign trail?
"Mental challenges are as old as the Bible," he said.
"If you are not equipped to deal with the illness, then you should not have showed up to answer the call." He paused. "You answered the call. And now you're going to be held accountable."
"This must end with Irvo."
1:25 p.m. "To pile on him like there's no human life... you know he couldn't fight back because he was handcuffed and shackled," said Sharpton.
"He could have been a shining example of how people, despite their challenges, could be productive anyway," he said of Otieno, after hearing his music.
1:20 p.m. The Rev. Al Sharpton's eulogy begins. "It seemed like another of a litany of ugly stories that we keep hearing... We normalize too much in this country." He asks what the excuse is why people with mental illness can't be treated in a sane manner.
"They began stacking their bodies on him," he said of the people who'd been called to help him. "I know he had an illness, but what was wrong with them?"
"Did you think we wouldn't come to stand with him? Did you think he didn't mean anything to anybody but his mama?"
Sharpton: “The disgrace is not that Irvo had mental illness. The disgrace is how you treated him.”
“If we sound angry, it’s because we are.”
1:12 p.m. "He interprets the pain, and places the blame where it belongs." Rev. Franklyn Richardson, chairman of Sharpton’s National Action Network, introducing Rev. Al Sharpton.
1:03 p.m. A video about Irvo presented by his family. It opens with a rap song written and performed by Otieno, an aspiring musician and singer. Various family photos flash across the screen as the music plays that show him as a child and athlete.
The video ends with an image of Irvo Otieno fading into a sunset. It receives a standing ovation with shouts of praise and hallelujahs.
12:52 p.m. Dr Shane Schlesman provides the Prayer of Comfort. "To bestow on them a crown of beauty, instead of ashes."
12:45 p.m. After Rev. Dwight Jones, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, opens the service for Irvo Otieno, Psalm 121 is read by Dr. Stephen Hewlett, Pastor of Sky Ministries: "The Lord will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore."
Dr. Michael Jones, president of Richmond City Council, reads from the New Testament.
“Mental health should not be stigmatized like it is," he says. "As a legislator, we need to do more.”Those gathered applaud.
12:36 p.m. The procession has begun. Irvo Otieno's family and close friends file in to the front rows, and the service begins with a prayer about those times when "the shadows of difficult times are on us."
12:15 p.m. Media has been told that Rev. Sharpton's plan landed a few minutes ago, so looking at a likely 12:30 start. First Baptist is about 75% full now.
12:00 p.m. The Church announced on its live stream it would be starting the ceremony shortly.
11:38 a.m. Prior to the service, mourners filed past Otieno’s open casket. He was dressed in a dark suit with gold shirt and a dark bow tie. Before the music began, the casket was closed and likely will remain so for the duration of the service.
11:31 a.m. The auditorium at First Baptist is about half-filled just a few minutes before the service was originally set to begin. Chesterfield Police had issued a traffic advisory ahead of Wednesday morning suggesting motorists who were not planning to attend the service should seek alternate routes.
The service was delayed from its planned 11:30 a.m. start due to Rev. Al Sharpton’s late arrival from New York. His plane was expected to touch down at Richmond Executive Airport in Chesterfield, which is close to the church.A choir is singing several songs prior to the family’s arrival.Time has been set aside toward the end of the service for family and friends to speak if they chose.
10:49 a.m. Attorney Mark Krudys informed the press that Rev. Al Sharpton was running about 30 minutes late. Sharpton's listed among those in the procession, so the services will likely be delayed until his arrival.
Celebration of life will include calls for justice and remembrance by family and friends
Irvo Otieno's life will be celebrated Wednesday at the First Baptist Church of South Richmond, where services are scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m.
His death at the hands of law enforcement and hospital staff at Central State Hospital will also be an inescapable part of the moment, which will include words from the Rev. Al Sharpton.
The service will include a reading of Psalm 121 and readings from the New Testament, a prayer of healing and a prayer of comfort and a selection of music, poetry and video.
The eulogy will be delivered by Rev. Sharpton, followed by a Call for Justice from attorney Ben Crump, and Words of Comfort from Pastor Daniel Wainaina of Goshen International.
Remarks from selected family and friends will follow.
The service will be streamed live by the church, according to a press release.
Notes from a life
According to the Legacy of Life printed for the service, Irvo "Young Vo" Noel Otieno was born on December 17, 1994, and was "a man that loved life, his family, friends and his puppy, Papi."
He attended Henrico County Public Schools and graduated from Douglas Freeman High School in 2012. While there he played basketball and football, earning an athletic scholarship to attend college, according to the Legacy of Life notes.
"Irvo penned poignant, meaningful and expressive lyrics as he worked on building a music career and his own record label, Young Vo Records," including songs meant to shine a light on social issues while celebrating personal loved ones, the Legacy notes.
More: Dinwiddie judge denies defense motion for gag order in Irvo Otieno murder case
The day Irvo Otieno was arrested Why was Irvo Otieno treated with such brutality? Family still searching for answers.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Funeral and memorial for Irvo Otieno included eulogy by Al Sharpton, calls for justice
