Ka Leo O Hawaii

Issue date: 1/23/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Blane Benevedes Visitors to the crime scene of Cyrus Belt wrote their support for the toddler, who was killed Thursday after being thrown off the Miller Street pedestrian overpass.

Media Credit: Blane Benevedes Stuffed animals, balloons and other gifts line the railings of the Miller Street overpass in memory of Cyrus Belt.

If you picked up a local newspaper this weekend, you probably know that Matthew Higa, 23, of Punchbowl, was charged with murder in the second-degree for the death of 23-month-old Cyrus Belt.

You also may know that according to eyewitness accounts, Higa threw the toddler 24 feet from the Miller Street pedestrian overpass and onto the H-1 Freeway around 11:40 a.m. Thursday. And you probably know that eyewitnesses have said that after he was thrown from the bridge, Cyrus was hit by two cars while Higa lit a cigarette and walked away.

This story, however, is not a recap of the events that occurred before, during or after the horrific tragedy. It is not about the legal proceedings surrounding the incident. And it is not about the evil actions of an individual. Rather, it is the story of an entire community pulling together to honor a child many have come to know as "baby Cyrus".

Dana Davidson, a professor family resources at University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, said, "We can pay tribute to a life that was lived, and it was a full life no matter what the life span. He was alive and he made a difference. We're going to learn from him."

Davidson, who has struggled to educate people about the danger of crystal meth to families for the past three years, said toddlers like Cyrus are in an age group that receives little attention from beneficial programs. She said they only receive attention from police and the Department of Human Services when it's really bad or far too late, like in Cyrus' case.

"He probably would have been helped more if he had been in a program that could have worked with him and his family. And there is a shortage of those programs," Davidson said.

"We lift young Cyrus Belt up to you, Lord, and we ask that you hold him and comfort him in your arms in Heaven for eternity," reads a written prayer left at the Miller overpass where Belt was thrown to his death.

Large banners, over a hundred lei and flower bouquets cover the bridge's entrance wall. A jungle of stuffed animals, toy cars, treats and loving letters crowd both sides of the 30-foot stretch deemed safe by Honolulu city officials. The original display was pushed back toward the bridge's entrance because of the danger of memorial items falling onto the freeway below.

"Heaven was missing an angel," another letter reads as a flock of balloons shift in the wind above, tied tightly together on both railings.  While there are many Christian messages and images decorating the site, people of all faiths and walks of life continue to visit the memorial. Many of them force themselves to hold back tears while holding one another. However, the tears - like those paying their respects - kept coming frequently.

A young girl collapsed onto the overpass's railing and cried through its bars, inconsolable to her nearby friends. She sobbed for nearly 10 minutes, as drivers honked their car horns sporadically below in tribute to baby Cyrus.

A mother welled up as she held her children while setting down a gift. And another family just stood there, looking outward at the traffic flow of the H-1 West.

Although the gifts placed at the site were as diverse as those who brought them and many different emotions are continually experienced at the site, most visitors seemed to have shared a theme, underlined in one letter:

"We'll never forget you, baby Cyrus."

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