Community raises thousands for family of Haitian student who reportedly died by suicide | Local
Pierre Damas Bel was an athlete, a decorated scholar and a native of Haiti who entered the United States legally at the border, hoping that he could get a better life in America. But the 20-year-old Wright State University freshman killed himself on Monday, Aug. 31, after walking into traffic on Interstate 70.
A fundraiser to support the family of a young man who they said died by suicide following the psychological toll of being forced to wear an ICE ankle monitor is gaining traction, with almost $24,000 raised.
Pierre Damas Bel, a 20-year-old Wright State University student studying neuroscience, died Aug. 31 after he stepped in front of a semi truck on Interstate 70. His family said he struggled with the shame and teasing that came with wearing an ankle monitor.
The GoFundMe fundraiser, started by Worthington resident Barbara Fidler, who was on the phone with her husband when he came across the immediate aftermath of Bel’s death, has raised $23,757 of a $35,000 goal, as of late Wednesday afternoon.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will help Bel’s family cover funeral costs, counseling services, and support for his younger siblings.
She has since transferred the fundraiser to Bel’s father, Pierres Ronal Bel, to allow him to receive donations directly from GoFundMe.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol Springfield Post, troopers were called at 8:45 a.m. on Aug. 31 to mile marker 66 of I-70 westbound. OSHP found that Pierre Damas Bel had parked his 2006 Toyota Avalon on the right shoulder before getting out of the car and walking into the westbound lanes, according to a release.
He was struck by a 2001 Kenworth tractor-trailer tanker combination and pronounced dead at the scene.
Hundreds of local Haitians have been outfitted with ankle monitors either at appointments at ICE’s Blue Ash office near Cincinnati or after being detained and released, according to advocates. Many have complained of pain, swelling, blisters or the monitors interfering with their ability to work.
Pierre Damas Bel was a freshman at Wright State University and intended to go to medical school, per his Instagram bio. He graduated in May from Springfield City School District, where he played varsity soccer, belonged to the National Honor Society, and was a member of the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.
On July 30, Pierre Damas Bel posted a 20-photo Instagram carousel highlighting his awards, diploma, plans to study neuroscience at Wright State University, soccer team, and the electronic monitor around his ankle.
“I came to this country to pursue my education. I didn’t come here to commit a crime or hurt anyone,” he captioned the post. “Yet now I’m walking through the streets of the United States with a GPS monitor on my leg, carrying a feeling of shame and humiliation that I never imagined I would experience. I came here to study, to build my future and to live a better (life), not to be treated like a criminal. So now, how am I supposed to play college sports with a GPS monitor on my leg?”
Pierre Damas Bel’s death has energized local activists demanding ICE “unshackle Springfield.” Protesters have likened the practice to slavery and urged federal officials to end ankle monitoring for immigrants without criminal records. Many, like Pierre Damas Bel, have pending asylum applications.
“After my son was outfitted with an ankle monitor, he felt like he was treated like an animal,” his father said in a written statement. “He took two trips to Cincinnati and Westerville to plead the officers to remove the bracelet since he’s a soccer player and he felt embarrassed and humiliated. When he’s among his classmates at the university — he’s a student at Wright State — he was bullied a lot with a lot of people telling him he’s a criminal.”
No funeral details have been publicly shared.
For more information about the GoFundMe, visit bit.ly/Pierredonations.
If you or someone you know needs to talk about thoughts of suicide or needs support, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline anytime, 24/7, or visit 988Lifeline.org. This is an in-state network of 988 contact centers that provide coverage to all 88 counties.