A mother’s love has no limit — and neither does her grief.

“Grieving don’t have a limit, and we would never be okay,” said Crystal McNeal. “Like my baby was only 11 years old, and I miss him everyday.”

Her son, Davon, was shot to death on the Fourth of July in 2020 after attending an anti-violence cookout.

In the years since his death, McNeal has been working to prevent other families from going through the same tragedy.

“And I turned my pain into a purpose,” she said. “So I love giving back to moms going through what I’m going through.”

A van decked out with photos of Davon helps her help her community. It was gifted to her by professional football player and DMV native Anthony McFarland. She uses it to pick up kids in her neighborhood and bring them to school and other activities. She’s become a second mother to many of them.

“I’m always going through, but I know these children, they look for me to come and pick them up in the morning,” McNeal said.

Her passion to help the youth has touched others around her. fFor Mother’s Day, one of Davon’s former coaches stopped by to wash her van.

“A tough day for all of us that love Davon, so they started giving back a little bit, you know, for a special moment like this,” said Charles Whitley, Davon’s former coach.

“It means a lot to me,” McNeal said. “Like it keeps me motivated, keeps me pushing. I just love what I do.”

National Police Week 2025 runs Sunday, May 11, through Saturday, May 17, and officers are already being honored in the Triangle.

Major Brian Harrison with the Raleigh Police Department just embarked on a 250-mile bike trip from North Carolina to Washington, D.C., to pay tribute to one of his peers who died in the line of duty. 

Harrison rode in honor of Raleigh Officer Gabriel Torres, who died in the Oct. 13, 2022, mass shooting in east Raleigh’s Hedingham neighborhood. 

Torres and dozens of other law enforcement officers will be honored Tuesday in Washington, D.C., at a candlelight vigil, when the Raleigh officer’s name will be read during an honor roll call for heroes. Other North Carolina officers that will be named include William “Alden” Elliot, Thomas M. Weeks, Jr., Samuel “Sam” Poloche and Joshua Eyer, who died in a May 2024 shooting in Charlotte, and Michael Horan, who was shot and killed inside a Food Lion store in Greensboro in December.

Major Michelle Quintero with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, who died in September during the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, will also be named in the roll call. A full list of officers whose names will be read can be found online.

Harrison said plenty of memories were made during the long bike ride, which began in Raleigh with a sendoff from Torres’ wife, Jasmin. 

“Just to hear her words of what a ride like this means to her,” Harrison said. “There is no doubt this a grueling trip. It’s a ride, though, that is made easier after hearing stories about those who made the ultimate sacrifice.”

Harrison was also given a chance to meet other family members of fallen officers during his trip.

“As you ride and you talk to survivors, which are family members of those officers, and you hear their stories of the loved ones they lost, it quickly changes meaning and becomes a ride of honor and remembrance,” Harrison said.

In honor of National Police Week, the WRAL tower on Western Boulevard and buildings across the Triangle will be lit up in blue to honor law enforcement officers, including the PNC Tower, Center Plaza, Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts and Crabtree Valley Mall. Flag banners honoring fallen heroes will be visible along Fayetteville Street, and there will be several events, including on Friday, when Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce will throw out the first pitch at the NC State baseball game.

A group of Quakers are marching more than 300 miles from New York City to Washington, D.C., to demonstrate against the Donald Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants, as per a report. The march extends a long tradition of Quaker activism. Historically, Quakers have been involved in peaceful protests to end wars and slavery, and support women’s voting rights in line with their commitment to justice and peace. Far more recently, Quakers sued the federal government earlier this year over immigration gents ability to make arrests at houses of worship, AP reported.

Organisers of the march say their protest seeks to show solidarity with migrants and other groups that are being targeted by President Donald Trump’s administration.

Their goal is to walk south from the Flushing Quaker Meeting House – across New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania – to the U.S. Capitol to deliver a copy of the “Flushing Remonstrance” – a 17th century document that called for religious freedom and opposed a ban on Quaker worship.

Quakers say it remains relevant in 2025 as a reminder to “uphold the guiding principle that all are welcome.”

Quaker History of ResistanceThe Religious Society of Friends – best known as the Quakers – originated in 17th century England.The Christian group was founded by George Fox, an Englishman who objected to Anglican emphasis on ceremony. In the 1640s, he said he heard a voice that led him to develop a personal relationship with Christ, described as the Inner Light.

Quaker Beliefs and Lawsuit Challenge to Donald Trump

Quaker practices and beliefs vary from a more Bible-centred Christianity, with pastors as worship leaders, to a more liberal approach with less structured worship and a wide range of teachings.

One the most well-known Quakers was William Penn, who founded Pennsylvania following the faith’s emphasis on religious tolerance; the group became influential in cities like Philadelphia.

But members of the group have also faced scorn for refusing to join wars due to their belief in pacifism and nonviolence. Some were persecuted and even killed for trying to spread their religious beliefs.

Earlier this year, five Quaker congregations filed a lawsuit challenging a Trump administration move giving immigration agents more leeway to make arrests at houses of worship.

FAQs

Q1. Who is President of USA?
A1. President of USA is Donald Trump.

Q2. What do Quakers say?
A2. Quakers say it remains relevant in 2025 as a reminder to “uphold the guiding principle that all are welcome.”