“We want to put pressure on them and show them that we are watching,” said Alex Silva, who traveled three hours by bus from Alejandro Korn, a suburb of Buenos Aires, to lead the march and visit the memorial to Payne. “They think we are fools who don’t know what is happening, but we are very well informed about the case and the investigation.”

For Silva, the demand for justice in Payne’s death is a more personal matter. In 2017, Silva’s nine-year-old brother Jonathan Gabriel was killed after he was hit by a car after the two got off a bus. Silva says he was in a coma for four days after the incident and broke several bones. Through tears, Silva recounts how the case was ultimately dismissed and that the driver faced no consequences for the incident.

“He took my brother away from me, and now he’s just living his life,” Silva said. “Seeing this man free motivated me to fight Liam’s case. I just want to know exactly what happened.”

One of the march participants, Karli Reyes, met Payne a few weeks before his death and carries in her wallet a laminated autograph he gave her. She also got a tattoo that Payne is said to have drawn for her in his honor. She plans to come to future meetings to support the cause.

“His music helped me when I needed him most,” Reyes says. “This march helps me grieve. When justice comes, I will be able to find peace. The way he left us was so painful and I think this helps me overcome the pain.”

Earlier this week, a separate group of about a dozen fans visited the prosecutor’s office in Buenos Aires as lawyers and prosecutors entered and exited the building. The group, organized by a fan named Luana Bustamante, 26, held two or three rallies outside to show the prosecutor and judge that “we are following the case closely.”

“I want this case to move forward and not stall like so many other cases in Argentina. I want there to be real justice and for the truth to come out,” says Bustamante. “For me, justice means finding peace: I want those involved to face prison time and for there to be no corruption.”

The organizers of both Saturday’s march and the rally the week before have made it their mission to keep the memorial in front of CasaSur clean and protected. They say the hotel has generally allowed fans to mourn in that space, but many fear they want to remove the posters and messages written to Payne from the tree next to the hotel that served as a memorial .

“We want to be his voice now that he is gone,” said Aldana Azmar, 22, one of the fans tasked with cleaning the area around the monument. “This has become a safe place for us to support each other.”

Payne’s Buenos Aires fans have also held several group chats organizing and dividing tasks – and costs – related to the monument’s maintenance, raising more than $500 for its upkeep since the day Payne died have. “We are taking care of this tree as if it were one,” adds Bustamante, who ultimately hopes to convince the city of Buenos Aires (and the CasaSur hotel) to place a plaque there honoring Payne.

On Monday, fans also launched a fundraiser and nonperishable food drive for a local church to commemorate the two-month anniversary of his death. They want the charity approach to remind people of Payne’s commitment to charities, particularly during the coronavirus crisis, when he funded more than 360,000 meals for numerous English food banks.

“I will remember him as an angel who did charity work, was kind to us and showed he loved us,” Bracho said.

Later this week, the five people charged in his death will be questioned in multiple hearings by the city’s Justice Department.

Regardless of what happens in court, Payne’s fans want the world to know that they will keep vigil — and they plan to continue holding rallies until they learn the truth about what led to his death.

“We’ll keep doing it until we don’t need it anymore,” says Melian.