Kerwin Lucas Duinmeijer (born Kerwin Lucas, though he later took on the surname of his foster parents; 5 June 1968 – 21 August 1983) was a Dutch teenager of Netherlands Antillean descent who was

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

ed in an act of senseless violence. Though still a point of contention, it has generally been accepted in the past, that

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

played a major role in his murder.

Death

Duinmeijer, 15 years old, was stabbed outside a snackbar in the Damstraat,

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

by 16-year-old Nico Bodemeijer, a Dutch

skinhead A skinhead or skin is a member of a subculture that originated among working-class youth in London, England, in the 1960s. It soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, with a second working-class skinhead movement emerging worldwide i ...

. After being stabbed, Duinmeijer ran to the

Dam Square Dam Square or the Dam () is a town square in Amsterdam, the capital and most populated city of the Netherlands. Its notable buildings and frequent events make it one of the best-known and most important locations in the city and the country. ...

where he tried to take a taxi. The taxi drivers told Duinmeijer to wait for an ambulance, because they are legally not allowed to transport seriously injured passengers. Though that was not mentioned in the media around that time, who wrote that the cab driver didn't want blood on his seats. A photographer from ''Panorama'' took photos of the dying boy lying on the Dam Square surrounded by onlookers. The ambulance arrived 20 minutes later and Duinmeijer was taken to the hospital. Duinmeijer died from his injuries shortly after the ambulance arrived at the hospital. Bodemeijer was convicted of the murder, but according to the judge there was not enough evidence to define and see it as an act of racism. Bodemeijer was involuntarily committed in an institution for minors. He was released in 1988 but was jailed once more for another, non-lethal, stabbing, in a bar in 1990. In 1998 he threw a plant pot from an upstairs balcony towards a parking warden placing a wheel clamp on his car, narrowly missing him. This generated some new publicity. According to a Dutch television station, Bodemeijer committed suicide in January 2012.

Legacy

Duinmeijer was buried at Zorgvlied cemetery. A memorial is held every year on the 20th of August in the

Vondelpark The Vondelpark () is a public urban park of 47 hectares (120 acres) in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is part of the borough of Amsterdam-Zuid and situated west from the Leidseplein and the Museumplein. The park was opened in 1865 and originally na ...

, where the statue of ''Mama Baranka (Mother Earth

ock Ock or OCK may refer to: * River Ock (disambiguation), three rivers in England * Ok (Korean name), also spelt Ock ** Ock Joo-hyun (born 1980), South Korean K-pop singer and musical theatre actress * Océano Club de Kerkennah, a Tunisian football c ...

'' by the Dutch-Antillean sculptor Nelson Carrilho was raised in Duinmeijer's memory. In 2018 at the place where he was killed.Denk in de kleur van je hart
Municipality of Amsterdam, 20 August 2018 A street in

Diemen Diemen () is a town and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality with a population of in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland, Netherlands. It is located approximately 6 km (3.7 mi) southeast of Amsterdam's Amsterdam ...

was named in honor of Duinmeijer. This street was later renamed ''Kerwin Lucasstraat''. The song ''Zwart Wit (Black White)'' by the Frank Boeijen Groep was inspired by the murder of Kerwin Duinmeijer. A documentary film by Froukje Bos based on the murder, ''Kerwin, Sign of the Times (Kerwin, teken van de tijd)'', was broadcast by NOS-TV and

European Broadcasting Union The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; , UER) is an alliance of Public broadcasting, public service media organisations in countries within the European Broadcasting Area (EBA) or who are member states of the Council of Europe, members of the ...

in 1984, receiving the Grand Prix d'Anube and press-award at the International film festival Bratislava 1985 as well as the J.B. Broeksz award 1985 (VARA).

References

External links

*
Website dedicated to the memory of Kerwin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duinmeijer, Kerwin 1968 births 1983 deaths Deaths by stabbing in the Netherlands Dutch murder victims Dutch people of Curaçao descent Child murder in the Netherlands 1983 murders in Europe People from Amsterdam People murdered in the Netherlands Burials at Zorgvlied Cemetery Murder committed by minors