\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tPayne fans march and chant \u201c\u00a1Justicia por Liam!\u201d in front of a Buenos Aires courthouse Saturday<\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSegismundo Trivero\/Rolling Stone Argentina<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \n\t\u201cWe were all very upset about those images,\u201d Valentina Loredanna Bracho, one of the march\u2019s organizers, tells Rolling Stone<\/em>. \u201cYou can tell with that photo that the hotel could\u2019ve done more to save him\u2026 They cared more about the image of the lobby than the actual well-being of one of its guests.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tJust days before the march, two hotel workers \u2014 the receptionist head and the hotel\u2019s manager \u2014 were charged in the case<\/a>, and are being investigated for alleged negligence leading to wrongful death.<\/p>\n \t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n \n\t\u201cWe don\u2019t have much trust in the justice system either,\u201d adds Jennifer Melian, another organizer. \u201cIt takes years for there to be justice in some cases here, and it\u2019s taking way too long in this one.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tMost of the fans gathered Saturday directed their ire at the hotel staff, with one fan poster reading in English, \u201cWhy did they take him fainting up to the room and [not] call and wait for an ambulance?\u201d Some fans pointed to Payne\u2019s Argentine friend, who recently spoke to TMZ,<\/a> while others held up images of the two people accused of supplying the singer with drugs.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe want to apply pressure and show them that we\u2019re watching,\u201d says Alex Silva, who traveled three hours by bus from Buenos Aires suburb Alejandro Korn to lead the march, and visit the memorial for Payne. \u201cThey think we\u2019re dumbasses who don\u2019t know what\u2019s happening, but we\u2019re very informed on the case and the investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tFor Silva, calling for justice in Payne\u2019s death is more personal. In 2017, Silva\u2019s nine-year-old brother Jonathan Gabriel was killed after getting hit by a car after the two got off of a bus. Silva was in a coma for four days following the incident, and fractured multiple bones. Amid tears, Silva recounted how the case was ultimately thrown out, and how the driver faced no consequences for the incident.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cHe took my brother away from me, and now he\u2019s just living his life,\u201d Silva says. \u201cSeeing that man free has motivated me to fight for Liam\u2019s case. I just want to know exactly what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n \n\tOne of the march attendees, Karli Reyes, got to meet Payne a few weeks before he died, and carries a laminated autograph he gave her in her wallet. She also got a tattoo that she says Payne drew for her in his honor. She plans to come to future gatherings in support of the cause.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cHis music helped me when I needed him most,\u201d Reyes says. \u201cThis march helps me grieve. If justice comes, I\u2019ll be able to find peace. The way he left us was so painful and I think this helps me get through the pain.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tEarlier in the week, a separate group of about a dozen fans visited the prosecutor\u2019s office in Buenos Aires, as lawyers and prosecutors walked in and out of the building. The group, organized by a fan named Luana Bustamante, 26, has held two or three rallies outside to show the prosecutor and judge that \u201cwe\u2019re following the case closely.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tMarch organizers Valentina Loredanna Bracho, Jennifer Melian, and Alex Silva lead a change at Plaza Libertad in Buenos Aires<\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSegismundo Trivero\/Rolling Stone Argentina<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \n\t\u201cI want this case to advance and that it doesn\u2019t stay halted like so many other cases in Argentina. I want there to be real justice and for the truth to come out,\u201d says Bustamante. \u201cJustice for me means finding peace: I want the people involved to face time in jail and that there be no corruption.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tOrganizers for both the Saturday march and the rally the week before have taken it upon themselves to keep the memorial in front of CasaSur clean and protected. They say the hotel has generally allowed the fans to mourn in the space, but many worry they\u2019ll want to get rid of the posters and messages written to Payne by the tree flanking the hotel, which has served as a memorial spot.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe want to be his voice now that he\u2019s gone,\u201d says Aldana Azmar, 22, one of the fans tasked with cleaning the area around the memorial. \u201cThis has become a safe space for us to support each other.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tPayne\u2019s Buenos Aires fans have also made several group chats where they organize and split tasks \u2014 and costs \u2014 related to maintaining the memorial, raising more than $500 for its upkeep since the day Payne died.\u00a0\u201cWe take care of that tree as if it were him,\u201d adds Bustamante, who ultimately hopes to convince the city of Buenos Aires (and the CasaSur hotel) to place a plaque there in tribute to Payne.<\/p>\n \n\tOn Monday, fans also launched a fundraiser and a non-perishable food drive for a local church to commemorate the two-month anniversary of his death. They want the charitable approach to remind people of Payne\u2019s ties to charity, specifically during Covid, when he funded more than 360,000 meals for numerous English food banks<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\t \u201cI\u2019m going to remember him as an angel, doing charity, being nice to us, and showing that he loved us,\u201d says Bracho.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tLater this week, the five people charged in his death will face interrogations by the city\u2019s justice department during multiple hearings scheduled this week.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
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