Turning grief into activism, an East St. Louis mom won’t let people forget her son’s murder

On a muggy Friday morning in East St. Louis, La’Tatia Stewart is hard to miss. She’s wearing a bright red-and-white shirt adorned with large photos and is joined by three family members who are wearing the same.

Drivers passing by honk their horns at her in solidarity. She tends to a pole that’s filled with stuffed animals and decorative flowers. She commands your attention. And that’s not merely because of what she’s wearing, but because of whom she’s wearing: the images on her shirt are of her son, who passed away in 2020.

Stewart’s family was visiting the site at 2408 Bond Avenue where her son was slain two years ago. She said she goes there at least twice a week, especially because his case is still unsolved.

“I come out here to keep my presence in the neighborhood so that these people out here, they’ll know we’re not going to give up until we receive justice and someone is held accountable for the murder of my son,” Stewart, 55, said.

Since the death of Gregory Stewart, La’Tatia Stewart has actively ensured that no one forgets about her son. She has a YouTube channel, Facebook group and Twitter page that are dedicated to sharing information about the case. She’s placed signs and billboards in the city about her son and has been a guest on podcasts to talk about him.

Stewart wants her face and name to be synonymous with that of her son’s. Being on the frontlines for your child’s murder case while also trying to heal from it is a unique position, but it’s one that many moms face in communities beset by gun violence.

“I have to do this because I’m his mother, and I have to continue seeking answers until we get closure,” Stewart said.

‘Lil Georgia’ was an aspiring rapper

On May 29, 2020, Gregory Stewart was fatally shot while visiting the home of an acquaintance. He was 31 years old and a father of five children. His mother was at home when she received the news from her husband. She was shocked. She had just talked to Gregory 30 minutes earlier.

It wasn’t long after burying her son that La’Tatia Stewart turned her grief into activism. She said that’s what she needed to do.

“I had to get my son’s story out there,” Stewart said. “At first, I was very angry. I was going through it, but after I buried my son and came back here, I knew I had to share his story.”

Her Facebook page primarily features her posts about Gregory’s case—a practice that Stewart says she tries to accomplish every day. Last month, in honor of Gregory’s birthday, she livestreamed a celebration at his burial site, and this month she plans to host her annual rally commemorating the anniversary of his death.

In June, Stewart will have another billboard (the first one was placed in Emerson Park near I-64) in honor of her son on 10th and State Street.

Gregory was the youngest of Stewart’s children, and she said they had a very close bond.

She described him as playful and “the life of the family.” He was an aspiring rapper, whose stage name was “Lil Georgia”. After his death, Stewart and her husband became guardians to two of Gregory’s five children because their mom passed away in 2010.

“I love my children in life and I love my son even in death,” Stewart said. “I’m from the South, and I really believe in family. I’m very family-oriented. Family is everything. I love my son. These people, they took a precious piece of our family away from us.”

Stewart and her family came to the area in 2002 from Georgia because of her husband’s job. Once an arrest is made in her son’s case, though, she plans to return home. Since the death of her son, the place where she has resided for 20 years feels less like home and more like a battleground.

She doesn’t want people to know personal details about her residence and background for fear of her family’s safety. She just wants justice.

“I’m here to keep my son’s story alive and to be his voice and make my presence here so that people will know and the truth will come out because if I leave, it would be swept under the rug like these other people’s cases. That’s the only reason why I’m still here.”

Stewart said she comes from a long lineage of fighters. She had childhood dreams of becoming a judge. Her grandmother taught her to always advocate for her needs instead of waiting on someone else to do so. It’s a lesson that sticks with her, describing herself as a “strong, independent Black female.”

But she’s still human and hurting.

“Sometimes I go in the store and see different things that remind me of Gregory and I just fall apart,” Stewart said. “People say I’m so strong, but I’m not strong. I’m doing this because I have to do this. I can’t let these people get away with what they did to my son. I have to keep (the story) out here.”

That duality of pain and passion is something that Skyla Pawnell knows very well. In 2018, her 21-year-old son, Aaron Prayer, was shot and killed in East St. Louis. His case is also unsolved.

Following her son’s death, Pawnell started a Facebook group in which families affected by gun violence can receive support and resources. It has over 800 members.

“It’s easier to go through things when you have somebody to go through that journey with you and you know that they’ve been through it themselves,” Pawnell, who lives in East St. Louis, said. “We want justice not just for our babies, but for everybody.”

Pawnell, 46, said she met Stewart shortly after Gregory’s death. She said they have a close relationship and talk nearly every day. They rely on each other for support.

“She inspires me because she goes that extra mile,” Pawnell said. “She’s not going to let her son’s name be forgotten, and she’s out her like she’s the police and getting more information…she’s bringing pieces (of the case) to them.”

The Illinois State Police’s Public Safety Enforcement Group is handling the case of Gregory Stewart. The unit was implemented in 2020 to assist the East St. Louis Police Department with investigating violent crimes in the area. Last year, the unit reported a clearance rate of 55% for solving homicides. When asked about the status of the Stewart case, a public information officer said the following in an email:

“The ISP investigates all leads and will continue to thoroughly pursue any and all evidence,” said Sgt. Delila Garcia, the agency’s northern public information officer. “We appreciate the public’s efforts in keeping this case at the forefront of everyone’s mind, and we encourage the public to share any information they may have that would assist with this ongoing investigation.”

Both Stewart and Pawnell work closely with Moms Demands Action, a group that aims to create safer environments for communities affected by gun violence.

Cindy McMullan, of Columbia, is a volunteer lead with the movement. She applauded La’Tatia’s efforts in spreading the emotional, physical and financial toll that gun violence can have on families, especially for mothers.

“Everyone who experiences that, they react to it and deal with it differently, but for so many of them, it becomes their life and their mission in life to, in La’Tatia’s case, bring justice to their child, and in others, to make sure it doesn’t happen to others,” McMullan said. “That’s what keeps us going—the survivor moms we’ve met who continue to work to make this a safer country for their family and for others despite their pain.”

Anyone with information about Gregory Stewart’s case can call anonymously to the CrimeStoppers tip hotline at 1-866-371-8477 or call the Illinois State Police at 618-364-3990.

“You don’t know this pain until you experience it,” Stewart said. “Today, it’s my family. Tomorrow, it could be yours, but I would hope not.”

This story was originally published May 8, 2022 at 6:00 AM.

DeAsia Paige

Belleville News-Democrat

DeAsia Paige joined the Belleville News-Democrat as a Report for America corps member in 2020. She’s a community reporter covering East St. Louis and surrounding areas. DeAsia previously interned with VICE and The Detroit Free Press. She graduated from The University of Kansas in 2020.