CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Saturday, Feb. 11 marks one year since CATS bus driver Ethan Rivera was shot and killed on the job during a road rage incident.
Rivera's family and friends organized to remember Ethan and the impact he's had on their lives. They gathered Saturday at the intersection of Graham and Trade Street in north Charlotte, where the shooting happened.
The memorial started with a prayer and several people shared brief stories about Rivera.
"We all hurt, we all took a hurt we all took a loss knowing that bus stopped right here with a senseless act of violence," said Gia Lockhart, a bus operator.
He is remembered as a family man, a hard worker, and a protector.
"My son was a good man, he was powerful, he was a softy at heart," said his mom, Sylvia. "I miss him."
“I know bus drivers who say Ethan would stand with them at the transit center when it looked a little dangerous and wait for them to get on for their route," said Ashley Hawkins, President of the Charlotte-Metrolina Labor Council.
After he died, bus operators held several protests pushing for stronger safety measures for drivers. The same push was echoed at the memorial.
“I want you guys to fight," said Sylvia. "I want you guys to be safe. I want you guys to be able to go home. Ethan never made it home and that was his last ride."
"We need our laws changed and we need our local authorities all the way up to state to change them to make it a felony when we are assaulted," Lockhard said.
The service included the release of white doves, 41 white balloons to honor his life, 41 black ballons to represent him in death, 41 blue balloons to represent the union of the CATS bus drivers. His mother was also gifted a bracelet with Ethan’s name on it.
"We know he is looking down on us and let his life not be in vain," said Nichel Dunlap, one of the organizers and workers' rights advocates.
Rivera was 41 years old.
“He was a brother, a father, a husband, a nephew. he was coming into his own and he was doing his job," Sylvia Rivera said last year.
“He's a person that was always smiling. he's the type of person who wears his heart on a sleeve," Hector Rivera, Ethan's cousin, said.
His family says Ethan was known for his big heart and loved to make everyone laugh. He was also a father and moved to North Carolina to be closer to his kids.
"One of his biggest objectives was just to be involved and, and to be a good dad and to have for them to have a good father," Rebecca Rivera, Ethan's aunt, said.
Ethan had been on the job for about one year when the incident happened.
In the year since he was killed, his colleagues have asked for more safety on buses, like bulletproof partitions, which CATS says is not practical.
Back in October 2022, CMPD arrested Scott Randolph Mayfield for shooting the side of a CATS bus. A passenger was hurt by the impact of the bullet.
CATS says it has made changes including adding more security at the transit center, but many drivers we spoke to say that is not enough, as they’ve dealt with assaults and other crimes on a daily basis.
"They're on edge still," Nichel Dunlap, former Charlotte City Transit Operator, said.
At 9:30 p.m. Saturday, all CATS buses, trains, and streetcars will safely stop and remain standing for one minute to recognize the life of Ethan Rivera.
Contact Richard DeVayne at rdevayne@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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