Annual Day Of Remembrance At Botanical Garden Of Healing Saturday

NEW HAVEN, CT – Saturday, victims of family members, advocates, clergy, city officials, and elected leaders will gather at the New Haven Botanical Garden of Healing Dedicated to the Victims of Gun Violence for an Annual Day of Remembrance Ceremony. The garden is located at 100 Valley St. The ceremony, open to the public, begins at 10 a.m.

At the ceremony, participants will honor, remember, and reflect on those who have been lost to gun violence in New Haven, including a reading of the names of all gun violence victims dating back to 1976. The Magnitude Walkway, a brick pathway in the garden, also contains the names and ages of every individual, including new names that were added this past week to reflect those recently lost.

All families of the victims are invited to attend.

In partnership with the parents of victims, the City of New Haven and the Urban Resources Initiative led the construction and planting efforts of the garden and continue to work together to maintain the park, which serves as a place of reflection, a place of healing, and a call to action where individuals can come to learn and respond to the impact of gun violence in their community. At the center of the garden, a sculpture depicts a family with empty spaces representing members that have been lost to gun violence, “an entire generation and lineage lost.”

In New Haven, 13 individuals died from gun violence in 2022, and 12 individuals have died from gun violence to date in 2023. Nationally, there were 44,367 firearm-related deaths in the United States in 2022, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

What to know about the Annual Day of Remembrance Ceremony for the victims of gun violence in New Haven

Saturday, June 10 at 10 a.m., the New Haven Botanical Garden of Healing, 100 Valley St., New Haven. Parking is available up the street at the parking lot for West Rock State Park.

Speakers and readers will include Marlene Pratt, garden founder and mother whose son was lost to gun violence, family members of gun violence victims, Mayor Justin Elicker, US Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, state Senator Martin Looney, Police Chief Karl Jacobson, Fire Chief John Alston, Superintendent-Elect Madeline Negrón, and others.