Community members gather at Harvey Milk Promenade Park during a 2016 memorial for the city’s homeless. File photo by Stephanie Rivera.
A memorial service will be held next Thursday at Forest Lawn for those who have died in Long Beach this year while experiencing homelessness.
The event is organized by the Long Beach Area Coalition for the Homeless and held in conjunction with National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day, traditionally held on December 21, which is considered the first day of winter and the longest night of the year.
Starting at 6:00PM, the service will include music and a reading of the names of those who passed away.
“On the longest night of the year, people from all parts of Long Beach will come together to honor those who have lost their lives while living on the street,” said Steve Be Cotte, the coalition’s president. “The longest night is symbolic of the struggle persons experiencing homelessness face every day to find safe shelter, from the heat or cold, wind and rain and danger. This is also a time for those who have interacted with these individuals to say goodbye. We are very thankful for the staff at Forest Lawn for hosting this memorial service.”
Forest Lawn is located at 1500 East San Antonio Drive.
{FG_GEOMAP [33.8438467,-118.1713072] FG_GEOMAP}