At a vigil Tuesday night in Plainfield, Wadea Al-Fayoume, the 6-year-old Palestinian American boy who authorities said was killed because of his Muslim faith, was remembered as an all-American kid who loved to play basketball and soccer.
People packed the gym at Prairie Activity and Recreation Center, 24450 Renwick Road, to honor Wadea’s memory, quickly meeting the capacity of 1,400. Wadea’s father, Oday Al-Fayoume, and other members of his family sat beside a photograph of a smiling Wadea at the front of the crowd.
“Tonight is to celebrate the life of this child and make sure that this does not happen again,” said Mohammed Faheem, president of American Muslims Assisting Neighbors, the Plainfield nonprofit that organized the vigil. “This is to express our solidarity as one community. Plainfield is a very welcoming community, and we want to make sure that people understand that.”
The southwest suburbs have a large and established Palestinian community.
Ahead of the event, security guards performed a thorough sweep of the building as a precaution, Faheem said. Officers with canine units swept the perimeter and interior. Other officials could be seen scanning the roof of the recreation center with flashlights.
Wadea was killed Saturday morning when landlord Joseph Czuba, 71, allegedly attacked him and his mother with a knife in the home they shared in Plainfield Township, authorities said. Prosecutors in court Monday said that Czuba had listened to conservative talk radio about the situation in Israel and Gaza.
The boy was stabbed 26 times and died at a hospital, police said. His mother, Hanan Shaheen, 32, remained hospitalized in serious condition and couldn’t attend her son’s funeral, where thousands gathered Monday in Bridgeview.
At Tuesday’s vigil, many attendees carried flowers or signs. One read: “This is what happens when you spread hate and dehumanize Palestinians.” Another, carried by a boy who appeared to be around the same age as Wadea, read, “I am not a threat.”
Plainfield resident Alexa Santoy said she had no words to describe her feelings when she found out about the stabbings. But she knew she had to do something to show her solidarity with the family and her community.
“I thought it was important to show up and pay my respects to the little boy and his family,” said Santoy, 21. She carried a bouquet of flowers for Wadea.
There was a brief moment of tension when Dilawar Syed, deputy administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, said a few words on behalf of the White House.
Some in the crowd expressed anger for the Biden administration’s staunch support of Israel in the recent conflict. One person shouted, “The president has blood on his hands.” Dozens left the vigil as Syed was speaking.
But many in the crowd implored those who were shouting to be respectful and remember that the gathering was for Wadea and his family.
“We are Plainfield Strong. We are here for Wadea,” someone shouted from the crowd.
“The victims were people in our community, and I think it’s important that we acknowledge that, and bring as much comfort as we can to everyone suffering due to everything happening,” Santoy said.
Correction: Mohammed Faheem’s name was misspelled in an earlier version of this article.
