Tears, hugs, and a lot of emotion filled the scene during the vigil for 7-month-old Nyree Greene. Friends, family members, and even strangers surrounded grieving relatives.
"It hurts so bad to watch my best friend go through this and watch her cry and not be able to tell her it's going to be okay... because it's not," said Stephanie McCullen, the mother's best friend.
"The mother is heartbroken, the father is heartbroken," said Joyce Moore, a close friend of the family. "Anybody that was connected to that baby is devastated. That baby was a beautiful baby. The mother loved her so much."
The community released balloons in memory of Greene, who died Sunday night after being hit by a car while sitting in a stroller. In the wake of this tragedy, many have been wondering why the mother was walking in the street with her baby. However, residents in the area say walking in the street is not uncommon around Moselle Street.
"I have a child and I walk with her on the streets with her stroller for the simple fact that some of these sidewalks are messed up and they do wear down the tires," said Vanessa Medina, who is a mother that lives around the area. "It's hard to even stroll on the sidewalks!"
According to council member David Franczyk, this has been an issue for a while, one that he has tried to resolve since last summer. He thinks a lot of these sidewalks are the way they are because of contractors that have worked in the area.
"What really bugged me, and I mentioned this in the council floor because I thought it was terrible, is that those demolition contractors, when they came on with their heavy equipment, they shattered the sidewalks," said Franczyk.
He added that city ordinances say in these cases, that contractors have to replace the sidewalks. However, this seemed to not have happened on Moselle Street, and residents can tell.
"I just feel like the government should start fixing these sidewalks, therefore no accidents like these will ever happen again," said Medina.
Funeral arrangements for baby Nyree are set for Friday morning at True Bethel Baptist Church. Family members have started a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral expenses. To donate money, click here.
