A D.C. man who did groundwork on criminal justice reform was killed in Southeast last week.
Kelvin Blowe, 32, was shot to death in the 2500 block of Southern Avenue SE while dropping off coworkers from an overnight security job.
He was making a turn off of Southern when a driver behind him tried to pass by crossing the yellow line, police said. There was a collision followed by gunfire.
Blowe was pronounced dead at the scene. Police recovered a gun next to his body.
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Blowe’s uncle, the Rev. Keith Johnson, helped raise him after the death of Blowe’s father. They worked together on causes and community concerns.
“I would want people to remember him for his endurance, for his commitment, you know, for his tenacity,” Johnson said. “That whatever cards were dealt, he played them to the best of his ability.”
For countless D.C. homicide victims, memorials spring up, but for Blowe, there’s another kind of memorialization contained in the criminal code reform legislation he supported by testifying before the D.C. Council and doing the groundwork, too.
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“He really was bringing a new and welcome voice to a table that often doesn’t include people who can speak from their own experience,” said Justice Lab Executive Director Patrice Sulton.
Blowe worked with the organization on several policy issues. His personal perspective helped strike the delicate balance behind reforming the criminal code.
“It is just a really powerful false narrative in the District that criminal justice reform is fighting for leniency in lieu of safety,” Sulton said. “It is about freedom and safety.”
She said that work will go on.
“He did a really great job of illustrating what words on the page mean in real life,” she said.
“My nephew is a shining example that any situation can be turned around and all of these young men can start to become assets to society and not liabilities,” Johnson said.
The family asks any donations in Blowe’s memory be made to Alpha and Omega Community Services in the name of Residential Services for Seniors and Veterans, a program he created.
