Flowers at the foot of one of today’s burials. Photo courtesy of Andrew Veis.
10:00am | Every December, the found bodies of homeless and those unclaimed by relatives are buried in a mass burial at the Los Angeles County Crematory and Cemetery. Today at 9:00am, 1,639 individuals were buried, with only those who came to visit honoring them.
Supervisor Knabe, who requested a moment of silence in honor of these individuals at yesterday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, stated, “This holiday season many of us are reminded of how fortunate we are to be surrounded by our loved ones. Sadly, not everyone shares this blessing. […] These are individuals that, for one reason or another, have no one but the County to provide them with a respectful and dignified burial. Some are homeless. Many are poor. Some have no families to grieve for them. Regardless of what their status in life was, each one of their lives mattered. It matters to us, their County family.”
The Long Beach Post, along with Supervisor Knabe, respectfully requests a moment of pause for these individuals.