‘Until justice is served.’ Shanquella Robinson’s family seeks arrests of all on Cabo trip

Nearly six weeks after 25-year-old Charlotte resident Shanquella Robinson was found dead in Cabo Mexico, the community is holding a rally Saturday for justice in her name.

Activist Mario Black, founder of anti-gun violence organization Million Youth March, has organized the gathering taking place at the Little Rock AME Zion church, beginning at 4 p.m.

Several speakers will give special tributes to her during the rally, he said.

Black hopes Charlotte will show up for Robinson in the same way they did last month when hundreds of Charlotteans attended her funeral.

“It is justice for Shanquella Robinson until justice is served,” Black said during a news conference Wednesday ahead of the event. The conference, which was streamed on WCNC-TV, had some of Robinson’s family members present, including her mother, who did not speak.

Quilla Long, Robinson’s sister, said justice for the family looks like each of the six other travelers being arrested, and extradited to Mexico.

“Shanquella Robinson was a beautiful person inside and out, she wasn’t a person who was into drama and mess,” Lakeisha Mobley, a representative of the Mothers of Murdered Offspring said. Robinson was a perfect example of a young woman doing the right things and had positive things going for her, Mobley added.

“She did not deserve what happened to her,” Mobley said.

In October, Robinson traveled with six acquaintances to Cabo, Mexico. She arrived on Oct. 28 and died a day later. Her friends, a death certificate, and police reports all differ on her cause of death.

The suspicious circumstances surrounding how she died have caused authorities in Mexico and the U.S. to investigate her travel companions.

While an arrest warrant has been issued in Mexico for at least one suspect, no one has been arrested yet.

Robinson’s case has gone viral internationally.

The rally will help to begin the healing process for not only the family but the country, Black said. He anticipates the event will bring a sense of hope, unity, and humanity to the Robinson family and Charlotte community.

“This is a story that touched the world unfortunately,” he said. “With the national attention it has gotten, hosting an event was important to us to ensure that her name stay alive.”

This story was originally published December 7, 2022 at 6:56 PM.

Kallie Cox

The Charlotte Observer

Kallie Cox covers public safety for The Charlotte Observer. They grew up in Springfield, Illinois and attended school at SIU Carbondale. They reported on police accountability and LGBTQ immigration barriers for the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. And, they previously worked at The Southern Illinoisan before moving to Charlotte. Support my work with a digital subscription