Posted on 02/04/2005 10:25:09 AM PST by CharlesI
BLAZING TRIBUTE By MARK BULLIET and ANDY GELLER
The silhouette of Nicole duFresne burned brightly last night on the Lower East Side corner where her shooting star of a life was snuffed out by a gunman's bullet.
With drums, candles, incense and heavy hearts, some 200 friends said goodbye to the 28-year-old actress at a unique and poignant memorial service.
It began with mourners marching to the corner of Clinton and Rivington streets, where duFresne was shot in the chest during a mugging at 3 a.m. Jan. 27.
Four men twirled balls burning on the ends of chains during the march.
On the corner, duFresne's fiancé, Jeffrey Sparks, 29, drew a chalk silhouette of the actress just as if he were outlining a body at a crime scene.
Then, he took a piece of rope and placed it over the outline. A friend poured alcohol on the rope and the space inside.
With that done, the heartbroken Sparks took a bouquet of flowers, poured white wine on them and lit them.
As the flowers burned, he lowered them toward Nicole's silhouette.
In an instant, it was ablaze burning in the darkness of the place where the actress met her end.
Sparks got down on his knees and prayed as a Guyanese shaman performed a special ceremony, wafting incense with wild turkey and eagle feathers.
Sparks played an Afridrum until the flames died. Then everyone put out their candles.
The mourners marched to the corner from the Angel Orensanz Foundation, an arts center four blocks from the crime scene.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Wouldn't a Viking funeral pyre have been enough?
Great point.
Only if it had been set on a boat which had been laucnhed into the east to meet the rising sun while an American Indian tribe smoked paoti and beat on their drums.
These "memorials" which act as pen mike nights for "performance artists" are nauseating. Whatever happened to honoring the memory of a loved one?
I read the stories and this Nicole gal clearly chose the wrong punk get "I am women, hear me roar" on. Having a metrosexual boyfriend was no help either and she did not deserve to be gunned down. But this new age wake clearly turns tragedy to outright farce. I simply can't help but laugh. The only thing we need now is a good long anti-gun screed and I shall be unable to contain my giggles.
Sounds good to me.
From the description of the event it sounds like the entire group was mentally ill.
A tragic death and a sad display of souls searching for meaning...
Oh my Garsh! That's it! I've just thought up the plot for "RENT II: The Musical." Perhaps Master Sparks and friends could get together and write and perform it in as a tribute to a fallen angel.
Ideas guys! Any would-be librettists out there? Care to contribute lyrics (in a noble cause(?
"...shooting star of a life was snuffed out by a gunman's bullet.
The choice of bad words all around here is mind boggling.
How in the world do they think this silliness is honouring her? It sounds like an odd clown memorial.
That being said, I fear this same crowd would have openly mocked any sort of gathering of mourners, holding lighted candles and praying in any Judeo-Christian fashion. So much for their sophistication and 'open-mindedness'. Just another level of sadness to the whole thing.
Wow, I only can hope to go out in a blaze of glory so really, really touching. I'll instruct my family a.s.a.p. to get some chalk and white wine, just in case.
You can do all this crap without an Environmental Impact Statement?
Sparks played an Afridrum until the flames died. Then everyone put out their candles.
Holy cow. I just had an epiphany:
They all enjoyed the memorial for her death more than taking action to save her life!
They want more gun control because deep down, they like the attention they get as victims and 'survivors'.
They love this stuff more than life itself. This is the true nihilism of The Culture of Death.
Left wing nuttery...
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