CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Family, friends and community activists came together Saturday as they demand justice for Shanquella Robinson.
They all gathered at the Little Rock A.M.E. Zion Church on McDowell Street. They put their demands in writing, filling each pink envelope with a letter to Mexican authorities asking them to take action in Robinson's case.
"Every time they see a pink envelope they are going to know we are trying to put pressure on them to execute the warrant to arrest these individuals," said John C. Barnett, a civil rights activist.
"My letter mainly states that we need justice now or you guys will be able to rest," said Zakiyah Pryor. "I made sure to put in that letter how we genuinely feel, that it hasn’t been easy since it all happened."
Protestors walked from the church in Uptown to the post office. Supporters then mailed about 100 letters to Mexican authorities and the White House demanding justice for her death.
Loved ones hope that every letter mailed is a step closer to getting justice for Robinson.
"She deserves justice," said Pryor. "Her family deserves justice, her friends, her clients, everybody deserves justice because it wasn’t fair what happened to her."
Robinson died in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico during a trip with a group of six friends on Oct. 29, 2022. Her family said the friends claimed it was because of alcohol poisoning.
Mexican authorities have made it clear that this was not an accident but a direct attack on Robinson.
Editor's note: The tweet below is from a celebration of life for Robinson last year.
Despite various accounts of what happened to Robinson, a death certificate found she died 15 minutes after suffering a broken neck and severe spinal cord injury.
Mexican authorities said in November 2022 they had an arrest warrant for an unnamed woman who was on the trip with Robinson, charging the woman with femicide. That development was shared after a disturbing video circulated online. Robinson's own father confirmed it showed her being beaten, likely sometime during the trip.
WCNC Charlotte has chosen not to share the video out of respect for Robinson, and because the video may be disturbing for some viewers.
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