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A call for answers surrounding the death of Nolan Xavier Wells is bringing community members and advocates together in Tampa for a march demanding truth, transparency and accountability.
The "What Happened to Nolan?" march is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Nov. 1 at Joe Chillura Courthouse Square, 600 E. Kennedy Blvd., in downtown Tampa.
The march is part of the One March. Fifty States initiative, a nationwide effort centered around raising awareness and encouraging civic engagement, with participants as far away as London.
The 18-year-old went missing during a boating trip with friends to Horn Island, off the Mississippi Gulf Coast during the 4th of July weekend. His body was found two days later.
Both an independent and state autopsy listed his cause of death as undetermined. In September, a grand jury declined to press criminal charges in his case and maintained the evidence suggested an accidental drowning, despite the fact that the autopsy showed no water in his lungs, stomach or throat.
A mother’s Personal Connection
For organizer Shariffa Spicer, the opportunity to get involved with the march was purposeful and personal.
Spicer said she has been following Wells’ story since day one. Spicer said she saw a Facebook ad from One March seeking volunteers to organize marches. There were efforts to have the march in Orlando, but no one stepped up to organize it. So, Spicer decided to be the organizer for Tampa’s march.
“We tend to personalize stories like this, we think about our children, we think about our family and because it seems to be a recurring conversation in the Black community, this was something that pulled on my heartstrings,” says Spicer, who is also a serial entrepreneur and the owner of Spice of Life Design.
As a mother of six, Spicer says Nolan reminds her of two of her sons.
“When I hear Nolan Wells, I [think] about Paul Jr., in my heart I hear Daniel [her sons] and I know what they mean to me and what it means to Christine [Nolan’s mother] and what it means for her to go through and grieve the loss of her 18-year-old son, Nolan.”
She added, “I would be devastated to have anything like this happen, and the way that the community has come together to embrace that family [Wells’ family] … that type of demonstration I feel like I would’ve owed it to her [Christine] in this manner, that I’m pushing forward, just in the same way that I would’ve hoped the community would embrace me.”
Voting Initiatives Tied to March
The march is not only an initiative to honor Wells and keep his case in the public eye, but to also encourage people to the polls. The demonstration comes just two days before the Nov. 3 general election.
“This upcoming election is very, very important and we’re really trying to motivate everyone to do so,” says Spicer.
Calling the event a “cultural experience,” Spicer said she intentionally planned the route to spotlight historical moments in Downtown Tampa’s Black history, which will include the courthouse and police department, two buildings that Spicer said many in the Black community don’t embrace because of its negative connotations.
A historian has also volunteered to provide context along the march.
Other stops will include Perry Harvey Park and the Robert Saunders Library, where brief remarks will be shared about voter engagement. Then, the march will head back around to the Chillura Courthouse Square.
“It will be a walk through history but it is making history with 50 other states, and again answering the question, ‘What happened to Nolan?’ Because we are not going to forget,” she said.
Not a Political March
Spicer emphasized that the march is not a political event but for anyone who has been impacted by Wells’ case.
“This has nothing to do with being Black or being white,” she says. “This is about humanitarianism, this is about someone’s life. This is about a family who is seeking justice and seeking answers … they [Nolan’s family] want the transparency as Ben Crump continues to push. And that’s only fair for a Black family, a white family or any other family who loses a child under these terms that have not been fully disclosed.”
Wear Black and Blue
Participants are encouraged to wear black, powder blue or a mixture of both colors in honor of Wells. According to Spicer, the family requested powder blue, since it was Wells’ favorite color. People are also encouraged to create signs.
Organizations such as NAACP Hillsborough, the National Pan-Hellenic Council, Black Panther Party [Panthers Of Florida] and churches, including Love First, are among the many supporters and collaborators. The march is being promoted in partnership with What Happened to Nolan, 92 Percent News and PROBr, alongside the One March Fifty States initiative.
All 50 states and London will be hosting marches on Nov. 1. Additional information is available at WhatHappenedtoNolan.com and OneMarchFiftyStates.com.
Marches in St. Petersburg
Also on Nov. 1, the Urban League Florida Suncoast will be doing a. ceremonial march in honor of Wells, as part of their Souls To The Polls event at 3 p.m. at the St. Pete Coliseum, 535 4th Avenue. N. in St. Petersburg. Social justice advocate Tamika Mallory will be a special guest.
Another march is also scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. at Vinoy Park, 701 Bayshore Drive NE in St. Petersburg, with a moment of silence followed by a march at 9 a.m. Participants are also asked to wear black to that march.
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