CLEVELAND — Wednesday night at Black on Black Crime Inc.’s meeting, community activists announced that a vigil will be held Friday at 4 p.m. for the two young girls whose bodies were found Monday night in suitcases that were partially buried in a field in Cleveland’s South Collinwood neighborhood.
“There's no one here to honor them. We don’t know who they are. We don’t know their background. We just know they’re beautiful little girls that deserve to be honored,” said Maosha Vales, First Commander of Black Women Army, which is helping to organize the vigil that will be held at or near where the bodies were discovered at East 162nd Street and Midland Avenue. “We're going to get the community involved and other organizations to come together as one… as a village for these children."
Maosha happens to own a lot across the street from the crime scene. She said she already had plans to turn it into a memorial for her daughter, Lamonxia Vales, who died in 2024 after battling health challenges related to sickle cell anemia. She said her daughter loved children and made a career of it working for The Elks youth department.
Maosha said that the future memorial for her daughter will now also include a tribute to the two unidentified girls, whom she called the “voiceless princesses”.
“Because they don’t have a voice to speak,” Maosha said. “So, we have to be the voice for them. They're princesses.”
Art McKoy, founder of Black on Black Crime Inc., also spoke at the meeting, reminding people of the power of gathering and fighting for all people, but especially children.
He spoke about the 2013 deaths of sisters Peaches Christburg and Glacia Ramsey in an intentionally set apartment fire on Kipling Avenue and how the community honored the girls then and fought for other changes in the community.
A memorial stands near the area where Peaches and Glacia died, which happens to be next to Black on Black Crime Inc.'s headquarters.
McKoy said these types of heinous crimes are unacceptable, issuing a rallying cry to stand up for the two girls found Monday night.
“This is no way to treat our children. I don’t give a damn who they are. We went to the call for Peaches and Glacia,” McKoy said. “And we’re going to the call of these children and before it’s over they will not be called two children – two girls in a suitcase. They will have a name. They will have a place. They will have a memorial.”
Damon Maloney is a Cuyahoga County and We Follow Through anchor at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @DMaloneyTV, on Facebook DamonMaloneyTV or email him at Damon.Maloney@wews.com.
