More than 100 people gathered to memorialize the lives of homicide victims Thursday at the Garden of Peace at the Massachusetts State House. Forty-two names were added to the memorial, bringing the total number of memorialized homicide victims to 901.
The memorial service featured a number of speakers including Attorney General Martha Coakley, Will Morales, executive director of Boston YMCA Achievers and the Egleston Square Youth Teen Center and Boston Police Officer Annie Cox. The ceremony also featured a number of musical performances, dedicated to survivors and victims.
“We all come together each year to hear experiences of senseless loss of some family member, or brother, or sister,” Coakley said. “The garden is not just a place, it’s an idea. It’s an idea about what we can do with our pain to find some resilience and to find some strength from each other, and we will all find it in different ways. I know this ceremony has a special meaning for me, and I know it does for all of you here.”
Morales, a former gang member, recalled witnessing the murder of his uncle as an 8-year-old.
“I remember my mother trying to wipe my face down and telling me, let’s not say anything, let’s keep quiet. I think she was afraid of retaliation,” he said. “I remember parts of his body tissue on my face. I remember also, that it was a time that communities looked at crime very differently than we do today. I had no community to mourn with. I didn’t even understand what mourning was, because I couldn’t even understand what had transpired and what had happened.”
Morales grew up in a home marked by domestic violence, dropped out of high school and went to jail for participating in gang activity. While he was in jail, he received news that his brother was murdered in a police shootout. After he was released, Morales dedicated his life to end violence.
“It’s a garden that not only celebrates the lives of victims of gun violence, but it also celebrates the lives of survivors,” he said. “It celebrates those who are no longer with us, but their spirits continue to embody us every day.”
At the end of his speech, Morales encouraged everyone in attendance to take solace in the company of others affected by homicide.
“What I really want you to do is look to your right, look at the person sitting next to you. Now look to your left, and look at that person and make eye contact with them,” he said. “What I came her to tell you is that you are not alone. You are not alone. You are in a community that is here to support you and to be with you, but most importantly, this is your healing community. Please make the best use of it.”
Cox’s son, Dana, was murdered in 1990 while trying to hail a taxicab.
She said by becoming involved with the Garden of Peace and attending the annual memorial, she has made strides in her ability to cope with the loss of her son.
“They showed me that with a simple stone I could represent and acknowledge that a life was lost, a life that had meaning to family, friends and countless others,” she said. “For those of you who are in the midst of despair, and can’t see the forest from the trees, just know there is a clearance in the midst of the forest with breathtaking beauty.”
Many attendees at the ceremony have been participating in the Garden of Peace’s memorials since the annual events were founded in 2004.
“I lost my younger brother Michael Mcquay. He was killed at the age of 14,” said Kenyan Mcquay, 31, of Roxbury. “I just come to pay my respects, because there are also a lot of other names that I know.”
Linda Tedone, 59, and James Tedone, 60, of Belchertown, lost their daughter, Shannon, to homicide. Linda said it is nice to know they are not the only ones coping with the loss of a loved one.
“It’s seeing the people rally around [that helps], having the legislators aware of all of the things that are happening, trying to solve the problem and the support and just knowing that we are not out on that island by ourselves,” she said.
Though individuals are exposed to homicide in the media, James said murder has a deeper significance when it affects someone you personally know.
“It was very interesting to listen to the police officer,” he said. “She sees homicide every day on the job, but then it touches her. It’s tough because when we got the call, when it happened to us, it was horrifying and it was surreal.”
