Over 75 people held a candlelight vigil outside Berkeley’s Alta Bates Summit Medical Center on Sunday night for Stephen Gaines, also known as the rapper Zumbi from the group Zion I. For more than two hours, supporters and loved ones of the spiritually-minded rapper shared songs, memories and calls for justice.
Zumbi died at the hospital in August 2021 after multiple security guards and staff pinned him to the floor and placed their weight on him for approximately five to 10 minutes. In 2022, one year later, the Alameda County coroner ruled his death a homicide.
But Alameda County prosecutors still have not brought criminal charges against the hospital or the security company, Allied Security. At the vigil, Zumbi’s mother, Carolyn Gaines, expressed her frustration at the inaction.
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Best guide to hip hop, soul, reggae concerts & events in San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles & New York City + music, videos, radio and more
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