A community, young, old, black, white, Spanish, Hindi, every walk, every shape, and every shade came out Friday night to Venice Ashby Community Park to shine a light, remember, and mourn the loss of 12-year-old Josiah Grant who was struck and killed on Rt 13 and Beaver Dam Road last Saturday (August 31,)
The Venice Ashby section of Bristol Township, it’s been said, is a neighborhood “you don’t go to after dark.” Anytime something public safety-related happens, the TV trucks roll in, reporters from all the broadcast stations show up, almost like an invasion, it’s no wonder why that community exhaled Friday night. No TV trucks. They could mourn in the privacy of their own neighborhood without having a microphone shoved in their faces.
But the lack of a larger media presence wasn’t lost on the hundreds of attendees either, that was clear, listening to the conversations going the 90 or so minutes Lower Bucks Source was at the candlelight vigil.
Josiah’s mother, Natalie, his two older sisters – Sahriah, Nefertari, with their younger brother, Jeremiah, stood before a crowded park area, lit candles swaying in the wind, six minutes after 8 p.m., when the gathering came to order and silence, occasionally broken by the sounds of a community mourning.
Natalie spoke, followed by family friends, and one of her two daughters.
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Bristol Township Councilwoman Marcia Dunlap took to the megaphone-she was among several speakers Friday night at the vigil only feet away from where Josiah and his many friends played daily. Dunlap said she wants a deep and thorough look at the intersection where the bicycle and Dodge Pickup collided (Beaver Dam Rd and Rt 13)
We need to get some answers on how this can happen. All too often communities like this one are forgotten, she later said. We have to do everything we can to protect our children. I’ve been concerned about that intersection for awhile now and we need to address it as soon as possible, she said.
She was the only member of council to come to the vigil.
Those who did attend paid no mind to the one-sided reported history about Venice Ashby. That was nowhere to be found. What was discovered is a community just like any other facing the problems of today. Mourning in a very public way for a 12-year-old joyous young man who loved to be in constant motion. That’s how Josiah is described by the dozen or so people who saw him daily. His passing brought strangers together on a community field from all walks of life.
Perhaps, as the saying goes, some good will come out of his tragic death. From this vantage point it already did. Maybe those other media outlets will get the message that was indirectly sent Friday night. Venice Ashby grieves and mourns, too.
Services for Josiah will be on Friday, 9/13/24 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the James J. Dougherty Funeral Home located at 2200 Trenton Road in Levittown. The funeral serviceย will be on Saturday, 9/14/24 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be at Bristol Cemetery, 2519 Bristol Pike (U.S. 13 ) in Croydon.
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Services for Josiah will be on Friday, 9/13/24 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the James J. Dougherty Funeral Home located at 2200 Trenton Road in Levittown. The funeral serviceย will be on Saturday, 9/14/24 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be at Bristol Cemetery, 2519 Bristol Pike (U.S. 13 ) in Croydon.
marcia dunlap
September 10, 2024 at 2:02 pm
I would retract the comments that you posted which was inaccurate. You stated you would email and call me to talk about this. I did not receive an email or phone call. I received a DM only and then you ran your story and sent me the link. You did not consult me on anything before posting.
The only conversation we had face to face was stating how sad this is and tragic.
There were other officials and members attended that you did not mention. The time was changed from 6pm to 8pm on a Friday night. I also stated let me check what we can do to help. I spoke telling the crowd my deepest sympathy from my household, council and the township after Dwayne prayer, the Behavioral teacher spoke. Thank you.