Justice for Alonzo Smith: Beverly Smith Reflects on Her Son’s Life Before He Was Killed by Special Police

Born in Washington, DC, on January 2, 1988, Alonzo Smith was a father of three children, and a father figure to the many children for whom he was a teacher’s aide at Accotink Academy — a therapeutic school located in Springfield, Virginia. He is deeply missed by his students, because on November 1, 2015, 27-year-old Smith was killed by private security guards known as “Special Police.”

“At his school, they called him a master of his trade. He was very loved by his children and staff as well,” Beverly Smith, Alonzo’s mother, says. “He had the gift for gab, very likeable and also very handsome, and he knew it.”

Alonzo was raised by Beverly in a single-parent household. “He was a very bright and active child,” Beverly remembers. He was always eager to take charge and work. “I would remember when Alonzo was four or five years old…. One day he asked the maintenance guy if he could give him a job,” Beverly says. The maintenance man consulted with her, and agreed that Alonzo could help him fix a neighbor’s doorknob.
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/42681-justice-for-alonzo-smith-beverly-smith-reflects-on-her-son-s-life-before-he-was-killed-by-special-police