By Stephanie Mancini
Published in September 2021
On September 20 we hosted a community barbecue and memorial at St. John’s Kitchen. A time to bring the community together before we end up back indoors. A time to mourn the many people we have lost since the start of COVID. We have been careful about these moments, not wanting them to be an event that spreads COVID. Only this fall have we started to believe that we could gather again somewhat safely, even as we know that the fourth wave is before us.
What a delight the day was – so feeding of the human spirit. We filled the Worth a Second Look parking lot, with people gathered in clusters across the large space, music playing, barbecue fired up, with the food line all socially distanced as people gathered for their lunch. Public Health supported a vaccination clinic, Sanguen hosted the harm reduction van, KPL Heffner Studios hosted the music and sound system, the Region supported the event as a Point in Time Count event (documenting the number of people without housing).
Rev. Jenn Hind and Fr. Toby Collins hosted the memorial. People came forward to read the names of 76 people who have died, holding them in our memories, marking the importance of them as part of our community, collectively feeling and sharing the loss of each person, of all of these people, and the grief we have held during the double pandemic of a poison drug supply and COVID. One death to COVID – most of the others lost to the impact of overdose – people taken too soon, too suddenly, grief after grief that has threatened to overwhelm us.
But what we had at our celebration was a feeling of release, of shared loss, of the reminder of how we need to experience these things in shared community. It doesn’t hurt less, but it takes it out of our bodies and reminds us of the importance of each person in our midst, of the body of who we are together as we create community together in difficult times. As Jenn Hind reflected, “We are a community, and coming together to grieve as a community shoulders the burden that no one person can carry alone.”
Remarks by Rev. Jenn Hind
Today we come together, to be with one another, to support one another, but also to grieve with one another.
Grief is a natural part of the human condition. Grief is a form of Love, we grieve because we love and I would rather love and grieve than to never know what love is.
It is love that breaks us open, it is love that binds us together and it is love that heals us up, we can be assured by the virtue of the law of Love that we can never be forgotten, we can never be alone and we can truly be absent from those who live within us.
We are a community, and coming together to grieve as a community shoulders the burden that no one person can carry alone.
The losses we’ve suffered are far too great to carry as individuals, so no matter what our differences we come together today for the same reason, we unite, as comrades-in-arms to grieve, but also to declare something.
No matter how much we’re ignored, no matter how much we’re pushed to the side, no matter how much our losses are neglected – we are not going anywhere, we will fight until they hear us, we will love until they listen to us.
In keeping up the good fight we will pay tribute to each and every person we’ve lost along the way – our fallen.
We have 60 names (which grew to 76 and more during the event) of people we’ve loved – let us lift them up together – let us hold our grief, our sadness and our anger together, and recall…
Names are powerful – they are containers for people’s energy – when we speak a name aloud we summon the energy and the essence of them and bring them here into our space – so let us call forth our fallen.
Our Fallen will guide us now as we walk in their stead.
We Remember
Aaron H, Allison D, Amanda D, Andrew R, Angelique M, Bernie P, Blaine L, Calvin S, Chris H, Clayton D, Cory P, Cory Y, Crystal, Dale M, David H, David D, David T, Dayna Mc, Dennis B, Dustin S, Ed P, Gregory K, Hawke M, Hugh R, Isabel, James B, James D, James L, Jeff C, Jeffrey H, Jeff Y, Jimmy (Cowboy) E, John M, Josue S, Junuh D, Katie D, Kenneth M, Kornelia B, Laura A, Leanne J, Lisa S, Margaret L, Mario M, Mark H, Matthew A, Melvin L, Michael D, Michael S, Michael E, Michael F, Michael N, Michael T (MK), Michael W, Michelle S, Mike D, Norman O, Owen S, Paul (Norm) F, Pete L, Pierre G, Randy H, Rena D, Richard C, Robert D, Rudi R, Sandy L, Selizabeth, Shawn K, Steve P, Steven D, Stevie W, Terry L, Terry N, Terry O, Thelma B, Tyler D
