Eugene marks ‘Longest Night’ with homeless memorial ceremonies
Presenter: With multiple ceremonies conducted in different parts of the city Sunday night, Eugene recognized homeless members of our community who are no longer with us. KEPW’s Todd Boyle attended the Longest Night memorial at the Farmers Market Pavilion, sponsored by the city’s Human Rights Commission, with singing by the Raging Grannies.
Raging Grannies: (Will the circle be unbroken)
John Bradley (Eugene Human Rights Commission): Good evening, everyone. Thank you for being here tonight, and for gathering as a community for this Homeless Person’s Memorial Day. My name is John Bradley. I’m a social worker and volunteer with the Human Rights Commission. Tonight I’m joined by volunteers Julie Lambert, who will read the names of those who have died after experiencing homelessness, and also by Trudy Maloney, who graciously agreed on last minute to be our bell ringer tonight.
Julie Lambert: Good evening, everyone. Thank you all for being here tonight to honor our fallen. I’d like to read a short paragraph.
Tonight, we remember lives that were too often unseen, unheard, or overlooked. We remember people who lived with courage under difficult and unjust circumstances. We remember people who laughed, struggled, hoped, loved, and endured. We remember them as humans, as our people. May this gathering remind us that how we care for the most vulnerable among us reflects who we are as a community.
Okay. We’d like to honor these folks. This is in no particular order. I’m just going to read their names.
Douglas B.
Candice K.
Rob B.
Kenneth H.
Cora S.
Richard S.
Tom.
Garrett.
Amy S.
Mark T.
Lucky.
Mark C.
Belinda G.
Willie S.
Garrett B.
Oliver D.
Hunter, aka Trapper.
Joshua T.
T.J.
Gigi.
Aaron J.
Tommy A.
Martha B.
Thank you.
Presenter: Julie Lambert reads the names of those we lost, as the Human Rights Commission hosts a memorial ceremony Dec. 21 in downtown Eugene. Field recordings by Todd Boyle for KEPW News. You can see more on Todd’s YouTube channel.
