Michael Zampelli, SJ, presides over memorial service for NCIP client David Losoya. Photo: Joanne Lee
“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
This was just one of the passages NCIP client David Losoya had marked in his heavily annotated bible, which was among the few personal belongings sent to NCIP after his death on June 23, 2015. The bible was part of a memorial on display this morning when 70 family members, friends and supporters gathered at the Mission Santa Clara De Asis to pay tribute to David’s life.
Mourners also tried to make sense of a justice system that put an innocent man in prison – mostly in solitary confinement – for 37 years.
While there were no easy answers, there was an astounding number of heartfelt words shared that honored David’s life while reminding us that we who remain on this earth have a responsibility to care for one another. In the words of Michael Zampelli, SJ, who presided over the service, “We will stand accountable for all that we do (and don’t do) in the pursuit of justice, and there is never an excuse for us to render people invisible, to wear away their dignity, or to stand by idly when they are literally thrown away.”
Pearl Losoya speaks about her uncle at his memorial service. Photo: Joanne Lee
David’s niece, Pearl Losoya, told attendees, “David wanted to have a wife, wanted to have a family. I can’t believe he was in prison the entire time I’ve been alive. I’d heard he was innocent for my whole life.”
Remembering her friendship with David, Louisa Herrera spoke of times when she was young. “Sometimes at the end of the month groceries were thin,” she said. “David would walk in with a large bag of groceries. Of course I would cook dinner. He was a friend taking care of a friend. I mean, I cannot think of a better friend than what he was to me.”
Christina Imperial, another friend, tearfully explained, “I know David didn’t commit this crime because he was with me that evening. This has haunted me for 37 years.”
NCIP Attorney Tamara Crepet described how the tragedy of David’s wrongful conviction and placement in solitary confinement shakes even the most hopeful among us. However, she said, “I found renewed hope from all the many, many people who were willing to help David, including the witnesses, students … and members of the state and federal law enforcement community. These people were not indifferent, they were not blind to David’s suffering and they were not deaf to his cries. Their responses give me hope for a brighter tomorrow.”
In explaining the contents of the memorial display, NCIP Legal Director Linda Starr pointed out that they showed David had hope, the incredible resilience of the human spirit. “This memorial demonstrates all the ways that he had the strength, resilience, and perseverance to stand up to injustice and, borrowing from our friend, colleague and hero Bryan Stevenson, maybe in doing so he has made us all just a little bit safer from the abuse of power that killed him.”
Good will come from this, David.
