Cecilia Ramos still has a hard time driving near Los Cerritos Park. The markings police painted in the street to indicate where her nephew, his wife and their young son were killed have only recently faded.

Since investigators painted them a year ago, she could see words like “victim 1” and “victim 2” on the street where police sketched out the crime scene. For Ramos, they were one more constant reminder of Halloween 2019, when a suspected drunk driver jumped a curb in an SUV, killing 30-year-old Joseph Awaida, his 32-year-old wife, Raihan Dakhil, and their 3-year-old son, Omar.

“Not a day goes by that we don’t think about that night,” Ramos said.

Officially, there’s been little resolved since that night: The criminal case against the 21-year-old suspect, Carlo Navarro, is still pending and the family is weighing a civil lawsuit against the city.

But on the one-year anniversary, loved ones and neighbors are trying to reclaim the area in and around Los Cerritos Park in memory of the young family.

“We want to make it a place of love and joy in the neighborhood,” Ramos said. “It’s still difficult to drive down that street and I live in the area … We want to take it back.”

On Sunday, Nov. 1, relatives and neighbors of the young family will follow the same path the three  took on Halloween night from a home on Chestnut Avenue near San Antonio Drive, around Los Cerritos Park and back to Country Club Drive. The walk is self-guided, starting at 5 p.m. and will follow all social distancing and mask regulations, Ramos said.

In addition, members from the Los Cerritos Neighborhood Association have worked with the city to plant three olive trees and install a Dia de los Muertos altar where people can go to bring mementos and photos of their own deceased loved ones.

Grief from the crash is still resonating through the community, which knew the family well. Joseph worked at his family’s auto shop, Joe’s Auto Center, Raihan was a social worker and both were known for their volunteer work.

Even a year later, support and kind words are still reaching the family from across Long Beach, according to Ramos.

Joseph’s mother, for instance, recently shared with Ramos what a local doctor told her: He doesn’t just mourn for Joseph, Raihan and Omar, he “mourns for humanity,” for the loss of all the potential good they would have done.

“They were gifted healers,” Ramos said. “I could imagine what Raihan would’ve been doing right now with all the mental health issues and COVID … They were just stifled so suddenly, so recklessly.”

Ramos said the family is nervously anticipating the progression of the court case against Navarro, the suspect. He’s scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 19, in which a judge will decide if there is enough evidence to send the case to trial.

At that hearing, they’ll hear why authorities believe that on the night of Oct. 31, 2019, 20-year-old Carlo Navarro was heavily drunk when he drove his SUV up onto a curb and into the family, who was less than 100 steps from their own home. He has since been charged with three counts of murder and three charges of gross-vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. He is being held without bail.

Ramos said past hearings have been tense, especially with her family and Navarro’s family seeing each other outside the courtroom.

“I never thought it would be that difficult to walk through a hallway,” Ramos said.

In addition to the criminal case, possible civil action is also looming. The Awaida parents have filed a claim for damages against the city of Long Beach. The city rejected the claim, which is routine, and is typically the first step toward a lawsuit.

The family’s attorney, Mohammad Ahmad, said the claim was mostly administrative in case the family does decide to file suit. They have about three more months to make that decision.

The claim sought $100 million in damages, but Ahmad says its true aim was to make the area around Los Cerritos Park more safe. The street where the crash happened curves around with little warning to those who are unfamiliar with it or not paying attention, Ramos said.

“What they hope to happen is that the city fixes that area,” Ahmad said, noting there’s a school nearby and a park where children play. “It’s very easy for accidents to happen.”

Ahmad said the family was reluctant to file a claim, but their ultimate goal is to prevent another crash from happening, hoping the city will add better lighting, bollards or reflectors to the road to stop distracted or intoxicated drivers.

For now, however, the family will plant the three olive trees nearby, hoping to bring some new life to the area.