Activists in Oshkosh, WI host vigil for Amber Evans

Oshkosh, WI – On March 31, local activists and members of United Action Oshkosh (UAO) held a vigil to honor and commemorate the life and work of activist Amber Evans.

Evans, whose body had been identified a week prior after being pulled from the Scioto River in Columbus, Ohio, was a 28-year-old organizer involved heavily with movements such as Black Lives Matter, the Juvenile Justice Coalition, the People’s Justice Project, and local anti-fascist projects.

Gathering in the Opera House Square in downtown Oshkosh, attendees of the vigil held a moment of silence for two minutes, symbolizing the two months Evans’ family went without any information about her disappearance. Hollie Poupart, the host of the event, then spoke about the importance of continuing activist struggles in the face of very real danger posed by reactionary elements, and often from law enforcement. After highlighting some of Evans’ work during her life, Poupart asked attendees to join her in remembering the lives of a handful of other activists, fallen too soon, by responding to their names with “We remember you.”

“I believe it was important that we recognize, although this work at times is dangerous, we as activists must support and protect one another as we dedicate our lives to the fight and the people,” said Lindsey Spietz, an organizer with UAO.

“It also highlights the increasing need for accountability for police,” she continued, highlighting UAO’s active campaign to establish community control of policing in Oshkosh. “Not only when there is brutal action but when there is blatant inaction. Amber’s death has remained mysterious as the police have not done enough to find the answers her family needs. We must continue to fight on in her memory and for all of the other activists who have mysteriously lost their lives.”

This weighty action mirrored a similar vigil held by UAO in August of 2018 to honor the life of Isaiah Tucker, who was brutally gunned down by Oshkosh police in July of 2017 while leaving the scene of a non-violent domestic disturbance. United Action Oshkosh remains dedicated to the cause of establishing community control of the police in their city, and in other cities across the nation, and these vigils are a sad reminder of the importance of their struggle.