People close to Romen Phelps gathered outside Dreyfoos School of the Arts on Saturday to honor his memory and help break the stigma of mental illness. The family of Romen Phelps, 33, say mental health issues played a direct role in what happened on May 13 at Dreyfoos School of the Arts. Never miss a thing: Sign up for WPBF’s personalized newsletters and alerts 25 News Investigators say Phelps crashed through the school’s front doors, nearly hitting a staff member before grappling with a officer who responded before that officer shot and killed him. Police say the officer had no choice because Phelps was putting everyone at school in danger and WPBF 25 News heard students say they feared for their lives when it happened. On Saturday, family and friends gathered for a musical performance, guest speakers and conversations about mental health issues and the resources available for people with mental health issues. “It lets me and so many others know that Romen has not been forgotten and that we are still seeking justice for Romen,” said Robbin Jackman, Phelps’ mother. “I appreciate that people still think of him because I do that every day. It’s nice to know he’s still being thought of,” said Joseph Phelps II, Phelps’ older brother. don’t judge a book by its cover and know that everyone has a story and everyone is going through something and things need to be handled in a way that requires thought.” Not every situation has to be fatal and some things can be handled differently at times.” The West Palm Beach Police Department has no further comment regarding the incident. WPBF 25 News has contacted the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which is investigating what happened, but no response has been received. “That’s why we all gather here today to understand a little more and seek justice for the events that happened,” Phelps’ friend Krista Kachich said at Saturday’s event. Phelps, who was 33, graduated from Dreyfoos School of the Arts in 2007. “Everyone here either knew Romen directly or knew Romen and he was a well respected, kind and contributing member of the community and so for that we want just keeping that legacy alive,” said Lynn McKeel, CEO of Remember Romen Non-Profit, which organized the event. “I think it’s important for us to keep that conversation going,” said founding member Deborah Ferrer. of the nonprofit Remember Romen.” As someone who resonates with the Romen story, I think it’s really about bringing empathy to the forefront and making sure we understand what the highest form of knowing and that is being empathetic to other people who might be struggling with something that you might not fully understand.” “Hopefully with all of this it sheds some light the need for mental health resources and p progressive thought and possible changes that may impact our communities, friends and families in the future,” Kachich said. “We need to keep up with this moment and this momentum that we need to have a conversation about mental health,” Ferrer said. Organizers have held similar events like this before and they said they will continue to hold these events. in the future.
People close to Romen Phelps gathered outside Dreyfoos School of the Arts on Saturday to honor his memory and help break the stigma of mental illness.
The family of Romen Phelps, 33, say mental health issues played a direct role in what happened on May 13 at Dreyfoos School of the Arts.
Do not miss anything: Sign up for WPBF 25 News personalized newsletters and alerts
Investigators say Phelps crashed through the school’s front doors, nearly hitting a staff member before grappling with an officer who responded before that officer shot and killed him.
Police say the officer had no choice because Phelps was endangering everyone at school and WPBF 25 News heard students say they feared for their lives when it happened.
On Saturday, family and friends gathered for a musical performance, guest speakers and conversations about mental health issues and the resources available for people with mental health issues.
“It lets me and so many others know that Romen has not been forgotten and that we are still seeking justice for Romen,” said Robbin Jackman, Phelps’ mother.
“I appreciate that people still think of him because I do that every day, it’s just nice to know he’s still being thought of,” said Joseph Phelps II, Phelps’ older brother. “Don’t judge a book by its cover and know that everyone has a story and everyone is going through something and things need to be handled in a way that requires thought.
“Not every situation has to be fatal and some things can sometimes be handled differently.”
The West Palm Beach Police Department had no further comment regarding the incident. WPBF 25 News has contacted the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which is investigating what happened, but no response has been received at this time.
“That’s why we all gather here today to understand a little more and seek justice for the events that happened,” Phelps’ friend Krista Kachich said at Saturday’s event.
Phelps, who was 33, graduated from Dreyfoos School of the Arts in 2007.
“Everyone here knew Romen directly or knew Romen and he was a well-respected, kind and contributing member of the community and so for that, we just want to keep that legacy alive,” said Lynn McKeel, CEO of Remember Romen. Non-profit association, which organized the event.
“I think it’s important for us to continue this conversation,” said Deborah Ferrer, founding member of the nonprofit Remember Romen. what is the highest form of knowing and that is to be empathetic to other people who might be struggling with something that you may not fully understand.”
“Hopefully with all of this, it sheds light on the need for mental health resources and progressive thinking and possible changes that may impact our communities, friends and families in the future,” said Kachich said.
“We need to continue with this moment and this momentum that we need to keep a conversation going about mental health,” Ferrer said.
The organizers have held similar events like this before and they said they will continue to hold these events in the future.
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