Memorial held Monday evening in Downtown City Park
PASO ROBLES — For an hour, the nearly 500 people standing in the Downtown City Park, were Trevon Perry’s brothers and sisters.
They laughed, sobbed and fondly remembered Perry on Monday, who was last seen alive heading to visit friends on March 15.
Perry, 28, was known as someone who did the right thing, regardless of the consequences.
In December of 2019, Perry testified for the prosecution in the preliminary hearing of his best friend’s murder — 23-year-old Cristopher Vento Wilson. Many believe Perry’s disappearance and death were related to the murder trial.
“Christopher was like his brother, and Trevon made the brave choice to testify and pursue justice for his best friend,” said Porsche Bailey, reading part of a family statement. “Now Trevon, like Christopher, has been taken from us by another senseless act of violence. Trevon is no longer here, and our hearts are shattered.
“Like Trevon, our family will stand up for what is right until we have justice,” Bailey continued. “We are confident in the Paso Robles Police Department and the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s office and trust that they will hold those involved in Trevon’s death fully accountable.”
Paso Robles Police Department detectives found what remained of Perry’s body at a home in Riverside on June 18. On Sunday, June 28, PRPD officers arrested the man they believed killed him — 23-year-old Nicholas Ron, of Paso Robles.
Monday evening’s memorial for Perry was organized by the San Luis Obispo County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
The Rev. Stephen Vines, NAACP San Luis Obispo president, implored people to stop senseless violence by speaking up.
“The real enemy, when I was growing up in our community, was violence. Violence is the real enemy that we have to look out for young people,” Vines said. “That is the true enemy because violence never solved nothing. The only thing violence gets is violence. Young people, you all got to kill violence.
“The first thing you need to do when you see violence in your community, in your family, with your friends, you all need to stop it. You all need to say something,” Vines said. “We got to kill violence because violence killed Trevon. Remember, take care of one another.”
The memorial was a little more than an hour and featured several speakers, a video and moments of silence. It was live-streamed to the Justice for Trevon Facebook page.
“On behalf of our family, I would like to thank the NAACP and all of our friends and neighbors who have joined us here tonight,” said his youngest sister, Caryssa Esquivel. “Thank you for your tremendous support, love and kind words. There is no way we can adequately express our sense of loss as Trevon was the heartbeat of our family.”
Bailey served as the emcee of the memorial and stepped in to help speakers like Esquivel, who were overcome by emotion.
“If you have ever had the chance to share a moment with Trevon, you would know that he was always overflowing with happiness,” Bailey continued. “Ever since he was a baby, Trevon personified joy, which radiated to everyone around him. He was a wonderful son, brother, father, uncle, cousin and friend. Trevon loved his friends like family.
People wore t-shirts with #JusticeforTre printed across the front, face masks with Perry’s face printed on them, and red and black ribbons in homicide victims’ memory.
Leola Dublin-MacMillan read a prepared statement on behalf of his parents, Geary and Kelli Perry. She recounted family trips to the beach, late-night talks with dad, Trevon’s love for basketball, and the hundreds of condolences from people for “a life taken too soon.”
“Ever since Trevon was an infant, he had a way of capturing the hearts of all who knew and loved him,” Dublin-MacMillan said. “You will rarely find a picture of him from any period of his life where he did not have that beautiful smile on his face. His smile and his laughter were infectious. Trevon’s love for his family was indescribable.
“We are just so thankful for all the years we were blessed to share this life with him, and simply to be in his presence,” she continued.
Paso Robles Police Chief Ty Lewis said he never met Perry in person but knows he was a special person.
“I’m sorry I never got to meet him,” Lewis said. “But I got to thank him because I think he gave me a gift, and I think he gave you a gift.”
Lewis then asked people to take a moment to see how many people gathered in the park for Perry.
“Trevon’s gift was this, what I see in front of me together,” Lewis said. “He gave me the gift of helping me build trust with the community that I might not have had the opportunity to do otherwise. There’s been so much fear, so much anger around the world and in our country, and now we have the opportunity to sit here and celebrate with one another. I want to thank Trevon for that gift, and I hope you keep that in your heart and keep it warm with love from one another.”
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