This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call or text the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

Family and friends remembered Pierre Damas Bel as a hard-working, loving, and dependable young man who had hopes of building a hospital in Haiti.

Hundreds of people attended Damas Bel’s funeral at St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church in Springfield, Ohio on Saturday. The obituary, prayers, and remembrances were spoken in a mix of Haitian Creole and English.

“We come to mourn Pierre Damas Bel, but also to remember with gratitude the life that he lived, the people who he loved,” said Carl Ruby, pastor of Springfield’s Central Christian Church. 

Damas Bel died in an apparent suicide on Aug. 31. His family said that happened because he was forced to wear an ankle monitor by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed President Donald Trump to end temporary protected status for the 330,000 Haitians who’ve fled violence in their home country. 

“We come because his life matters, because this family matters,” said Ernie Brown, senior pastor of St. John Missionary Baptist Church. 

“May we remember not only how life ended, but also how life (was) lived, the relationships he formed, the moments he shared, the laughter, the memories, and the love surrounding him,” Brown said.

Many who spoke urged those in attendance to remember Damas Bel for the life he lived. 

“Pierre Damas Bel deserves to be remembered for more than the tragedy that ended his earthly journey,” Ruby said. 

Legal protected status for Haitians officially ended on July 27 and Haitians living in Springfield have been required to report to the ICE offices in Blue Ash or Westerville to accept ankle monitors. 

“Our dear friend and brother might have died by suicide, but he was killed by the system,” said Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance. 

“Pierre’s legacy leaves a mark in our lives forever, and how the criminalization of Haitian immigrants can be an unnecessary death sentence,” said Yola Lamarre, an advocate with the Haitian Community Network.

Damas Bel, 20, was born in Tiburon, Haiti and came to the United States in 2021. 

He was a first-year student at Wright State University studying neuroscience who had hopes of going to medical school. He also worked at Texas Roadhouse. 

Damas Bel graduated from Springfield High School in May. He participated in the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and played on the high school soccer team. 

“Damas was not simply a student with ambitions,” Ruby said. 

“He was a young man who believed in helping people. His family remembers him as loving, obedient, dependable, compassionate.” 

Damas Bel was raised by his father and stepmother, and had two younger siblings. Damas Bel’s father Pierre Ronal Bel described the deep relationship he had with his son in a statement that was read aloud during the service. 

“He knew everything about me. … Whenever someone opens the front door, I have the sense that it is him coming home.”

Damas Bel’s stepmother Landy St. Juste shared how he helped her with job applications, interpreted for her, and checked on her regularly. 

“He was loving and kind. May his beautiful soul rest in peace.” 

His younger brother Bradley Bel said Damas Bel was always there for him. 

“You always made me feel like I was never alone. You are someone I could always count on.” 

When talking about Damas Bel’s father, Ruby mentioned Mamie Till-Mobley whose son Emmett Till who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955. 

“He too died a violent death that galvanized the attention of the world and helped to fuel the Civil Rights Movement,” Ruby said. 

“Like Emmett Till, Pierre Damas died under the weight of a racialized system that did not provide him with equal liberty and equal justice. He died under a way of governing that did not recognize his inalienable rights to life, liberty, and happiness. … May Pierre Damas Bel’s death start a movement of justice for all Haitian people.” 

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine attended the funeral and talked to Damas Bel’s family seated in the front row. 

“Fran and I lost a 22-year-old daughter, Becky, so we have some understanding of the great trauma and sorrow that they face,” DeWine said. “I just want to be there for the family.” 

Springfield Mayor Robert Rue was also at the funeral and sat next to DeWine during the service. 

Ohio state Rep. Latyna Humphrey, D-Columbus, spoke on behalf of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus. 

“(Damas Bel) played a part in the American dream,” she said. “He was willing to work for his family. He was willing to create community. He was willing to make sure that he was educated because he too had dreams, he too had aspirations, he too wanted to save his community.”

Some in attendance at the funeral might not have known Damas Bel, Ruby said, but wanted to show support for his family and the Haitian community in Springfield. 

“This group wants you and other Haitians who have come to Springfield to know that you are a blessing, not a burden to our community,” Ruby said. 

“You have made our city better. You have not made it worse. This group wants you to know that you are not guests in Springfield. … You are a part of our community, and we do not want you to be ripped away.” 

About 15,000 Haitians live in Springfield, with a mixture of temporary protected status, citizenship and other legal status.

Five Haitians from Springfield, Ohio have been deported back to Haiti and nearly 75 Haitians living in Ohio have been detained since July 27 at one of four Ohio detention facilities that contract with ICE.

Follow Ohio Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on X or on Bluesky.

This story is republished from the Ohio Capital Journal under a Creative Commons license. View the original article.