TAIPEI, Taiwan — They came to the somber alleyway bearing white carnations and roses, others brought bags of snacks that any small child would have loved, but most of all they brought their hearts.
A wall of volunteers offered free hugs, some gave out flowers. Parents urged their children forward to the growing mound of flowers lit up by soft candlelight. Another man surnamed Lin said he had come right after work to pay tribute, messaging friends in the area to join him.
One elderly woman searched the cards and letters left to the little girl, searching in vain for her real name (which has not been disclosed to the public out of respect for the family).
“I can pray to make sure that she’s not stuck in purgatory,” she insisted. “But I need her full name,” she said while shuffling off to read another row of cards.
The makeshift shrine for “Little Light Bulb”, the four year old Taipei toddler who was killed by a freakish random attack by a mentally ill man on Monday, was almost silent aside from the passing cars, but the sense of what people were thinking was written on their faces and on the cards they left on the curbside.
“There’s no more pain, little light bulb – may you be a happy angel from now on,” wrote one note.
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“Little light bulb, your glow has not dimmed. You are still aglow, and will forever be in the hearts of your mommy and daddy, and in the hearts of all your sisters and brothers, older or younger,” wrote another affixed to a box of teddy bear crackers.
But there were also notes tinged with anger. One, affixed to an action figure wrote: “This “older brother” is incredible- it can punch away any bad people far away, so you don’t have to be afraid anymore.”
The founder of the White Justice Social Alliance Wu Po-wei called for a vigil to be held to remember the four year-old girl slain in Monday’s knife attack, who was called “little light bulb” by her parents.
“Let’s all be little light bulbs, give society some warmth through our hugs,” he wrote on his Facebook page to announce the event. But Tuesday evening’s vigil appeared self-initiated by ordinary citizens from all walks of life.
More than 60,000 signal interest in April 10 march
It contrasts a call by the White Rose Movement which called for a march on April 10 to “protect our own children.” More than 60,000 indicated their intention to participate via Facebook. The group first gained prominence for its peaceful demonstrations calling for legal reforms in Taiwan.
The mother of the victim posted on Facebook earlier Tuesday that she hoped people would not use the incident to argue their stance on the death penalty.
Her call may come in vain as proponents of capital punishment have increasingly moved onto the political offensive in recent days with calls for tougher legislation on “child killers” and a referendum to keep capital punishment legal.
