Good post. If I can get some free time in the near future, I will look for a link, but I do remember it being said that certain people of certain races were not welcome at her services, and this was prior to the service, so I was not necessarily shocked for there to be a larger presence of one particular race than another.
I can only say what my own personal experience there was when I was passing through on my way to Florida. I recounted this experience here once before and believe it was misinterpreted. I do not have a bigoted bone in my body, quite the contrary.
I met friends and family at a well known, popular, and nice restaurant for dinner. To finish up a work project, while there, I interviewed everyone in the restaurant and bar that was willing to be interviewed. I met many lovely people and every beautiful soul there was amazingly friendly, open, and very willing to be interviewed.
Outside during a break for fresh air, a local (who would be known to most in that area) said to me in an angry tone "are you crazy, girl? You trying to get someone killed?" I was frankly confused. It took me a minute to even understand what he was meaning. It was gut wrenching to me to realize that he was not alone by any means in his "attitude" and what I have to guess his history of actions.
If it is this way for a totally innocent passerby and the totally innocent men of color who were in that restaurant that night whom I may have endangered simply by INTERVIEWING them in a public venue with witnesses all around, I cannot begin to imagine the sheer fear of the people of color who knew Jessica, recently murdered in an unimaginably vicious manner.
With her killer still at large, much speculation, including public comments from the earliest hours as to the killer/s being "known" and already in custody at one point (guilty or innocent), the vast network of related family and gang members in the community, the highly inflammatory statements made on FB, and the past history of bad blood with her previous bf relationships and possibly parental/bf relationships, I would imagine many people of color were QUITE justifiably terrified to show up.
Add to that the possibility that word "may" have circulated that they would not be welcome, at ALL, then.....
Words actually fail me at this point. There could be no absolute "right" thing to do in that situation. Sad sad sad. Smh. I really cannot judge anyone in that situation for not attending her funeral. What good would it have done to start a fight or riot simply by being there, even if intentions were pure?
I left that region at the age of 18 and never lived there since. Some things really haven't changed a lot. Smh. Smh.