Hundreds join march through Stourbridge in Ryan Passey’s memory - PICTURES and VIDEO
Hundreds of people gathered in Stourbridge in memory of Ryan Passey who was stabbed and killed in August last year.
Ryan’s family and friends were joined by hundreds of supporters as they marched through the town centre towards Stourbridge football club’s ground on Amblecote High Street.
They were aiming to raise awareness in a bid to rid the streets of knife crime and also calling for a change in the law.
WATCH the march through Stourbridge
Ryan, 24, was killed in Chicago’s in the town centre and supporters of the campaign trekked the half-mile route from the closed-down club towards the home of the team he used to play for.
Roses were laid at the site of the old club and speeches were made by deputy leader of Dudley Council, Councillor Judy Foster, assistant police and crime commissioner for the West Midlands, Ashley Bertie, and Mayor of Dudley, Councillor Alan Taylor.
The family also held a charity football game at the football club where a Wolves-all-stars team took on a Justice for Ryan team.
There was also a community event for families where bouncy castles, stalls and food and drink were on offer to guests.
Kobe Murray was accused of killing Ryan, but was acquitted of murder and manslaughter after a jury found he acted unintentionally.
Ryan’s family have been campaigning for a new law to be introduced giving families the option to appeal against jury decisions and their petition has already had over 40,000 signatures.
PICTURES from the day
His mother Gillian Taylor said: “It’s overwhelming the amount of people that have turned up, it’s so emotional and I’m so glad for all the support we’ve had.
“Ryan was such a popular happy-go-lucky chap and was loved by everyone, it just shows with the amount of people that have turned out for him, it’s just amazing.
“We want to change the law, that’s our main aim.
"It’s also to raise awareness of knife crime and get into the heads of younger people that it’s not right to carry a knife or stab someone.
"We’ll keep on fighting, as far as we can go, we’ll just keep going – we all need to pull together to get something done, the justice system is failing us."
The family were also joined by the family of Reagan Asbury, who was stabbed to death in October last year, and the family of James Brindley who was also killed after a stabbing in Aldridge in June last year.
Aiden Passey, Ryan’s father, said: “We’re trying to get the message out there and we want justice.
"It’s terrible what is going on with knife crime across the country.
"We’ve had a lot of support for our campaign from the police to politicians, and we’ll keep on fighting for justice for Ryan.
"The public has been great and they’ve turned up again in their hundreds to support us.”
Assistant police and crime commissioner Ashley Bertie said: “I want to support the family and the people of Dudley, Stourbridge and the West Midlands in their attempts to get knives off our streets.
"Knife crime is a really significant issue which not only impacts families but right across society.”
