‘These are people who lost everything’: Vigil honors Oak Cliff apartment blast victims

Residents gathered a few feet from the charred remains of The Clyde apartment complex Wednesday evening, standing in silence near the rubble where three people were killed and families lost their homes last week during a natural gas explosion and fire.

Around 100 people attended the vigil, which honored Marisol Pérez, her 18-month-old son, Erik Pérez Jr., and longtime Dallas County Democratic Party precinct chair Sylvia Collins, all of whom died after the May 28 blast tore through the Oak Cliff complex.

At the center of the Wednesday evening gathering, remembrances of the victims sat on a podium, surrounded by roses and floral tributes. Behind them, first responders, neighbors, friends and local leaders stood quietly near the perimeter of the damaged complex, close enough for the wreckage to remain in view.

The location provided the vigil with a stark intimacy: The community was not remembering the tragedy from afar. It was standing beside it.

The ceremony was led by Gannon Sims, senior pastor of Cliff Temple Baptist Church and leader of the church’s community ministry, Mission Oak Cliff. Dallas Fire-Rescue Chief Justin Ball and state Rep. Jessica González were among those in attendance.

Related: What caused the deadly Oak Cliff explosion? Here’s what we know

Sims said the silent vigil was intended to give the community room to grieve without trying to explain the loss too quickly.

“Our culture is so prone to using words, and moments like this leave us at the end of words,” Sims said. “When we have situations like this, I feel like it’s important to just hold one another close and to let God speak in the silence.”

During the service, Sims quoted Psalm 23 and led moments of silence for first responders, the victims, displaced residents and the broader Oak Cliff neighborhood. The ceremony was somber and restrained, with no music or long speeches, focusing instead on remembrance, grief and families facing an uncertain recovery.

Sims said the scale of the destruction carries a weight that can be difficult to fully grasp.

Related: Charities cover six months of rent for families displaced after fatal Oak Cliff explosion

“If we had 19 homes in a neighborhood just mowed down, it would shock us,” Sims said. “I think with an apartment building, we don’t think of the gravity of 19 homes. There’s a lot of gravity here.”

Mission Oak Cliff and Cliff Temple Baptist Church have helped coordinate donations and support for displaced families since the explosion. Sims said the church began by opening its doors to provide food, water and snacks before helping gather items for residents who lost belongings or were forced from their homes.

“There’s a coordinated effort between the city and local nonprofits,” Sims said. “We’re doing our best to account for the needs of all those who’ve been displaced.”

For Omar Jimenez, chair of the 23rd Senatorial District Tejano Democrats, the vigil was both personal and communal. Collins served as the organization’s sergeant-at-arms and had been involved since its beginning.

Related: ‘It could have been us’: Oak Cliff residents fear returning after fatal explosion

“I had to be here tonight,” Jimenez said. “I wanted not only to show my support and my grief for her, but also for Marisol, Erik and all the families affected by it.”

Jimenez said the gathering reflected the kind of support Collins had spent years offering others.

“Knowing Sylvia, she would do the same thing if something like this were to happen,” Jimenez said. “It’s almost like we’re returning a favor for her, because that would be something that she would do.”

Soraya Santos, a friend of Collins, said Collins had been a constant presence in local advocacy circles for years, showing up at meetings, events and campaigns long before many others became involved.

“Sylvia was someone who was there from the first year I got into advocacy 10 years ago,” Santos said. “By the time I came into it, she’d already been doing it for decades. She was just a constant, positive presence.”

Santos said the turnout reflected both Collins’ reach and Oak Cliff’s response to families facing sudden loss.

“Oak Cliff is a hell of a community,” Santos said. “They’ve come out for each other.”

But Santos said the needs of displaced families will continue long after the vigils and public attention fade.

“This is not something that’s going to go away in a news cycle in a week or so,” Santos said. “These are people who lost everything that they owned. They don’t have toothbrushes. They don’t have socks, underwear, nothing.”

González, whose district includes Oak Cliff, said the silent vigil was organized to remember the victims while also reminding the community that recovery is still unfolding.

“We’re not done yet,” González said. “We still have to continue to help folks. This is not just about coming together for a moment.”

González said she lives nearby and felt the explosion from her home.

“I thought that a car had hit our home,” González said. “When I saw smoke from my back deck, I knew it was coming from the direction of the apartment complex.”

Related: ‘This was enormous’: At least 3 dead in Dallas apartment fire as search continues

She said she later met families affected by the blast and has worked to help connect them with resources, including residents who lost their homes and others in neighboring units who remain affected by damage and service disruptions.

“They’re not going to have to deal with this on their own,” González said. “There’s a lot of work for us to do, and there are a lot of answers, and I’m going to get those answers.”

Following the vigil, González could be seen speaking quietly with residents, relatives and friends affected by the tragedy, offering support as families continued to process the loss of loved ones, homes and belongings.

First responders and community members later walked toward the perimeter of the site, standing in silence as they looked toward the wreckage.

As the investigation into the cause of the explosion continues, Wednesday’s gathering shifted the focus from the debris to remembrance and to the long road ahead for those left grieving, displaced and searching for answers.