'Black Balloon Day' In Nutley Offers Solemn Tribute To Opioid Victims

NUTLEY, NJ — “There is no one anywhere in the world who is immune from drug abuse.” This was the reaction from a local official in Nutley after a Black Balloon Day presentation at Town Hall.

Earlier this month, organizers held a tribute at the Nutley Board of Commissioners meeting to remember victims of the nation’s ongoing opioid epidemic.

The meeting featured a presentation about the importance of opioid abuse awareness, as well as a musical tribute and moment of remembrance to the song, “Gone Too Soon” by Ed Sheeran. The event concluded with a traditional “raising of the balloons” – black balloons for those lost to substance abuse and white balloons representing the hope kept in the hearts of their families.

“Black Balloon Day serves as a day of remembrance for family and friends, while also aiming to raise awareness about the opioid epidemic, reduce the stigma surrounding substance disorders, and promote advocacy for treatment and prevention,” Mayor John Kelly said.

Nutley Department of Public Affairs and Health’s Sharon Lemma-Bozza spoke about the meaning of the tribute.

“Black Balloon Day is a time when people come together to pay tribute to those who have been lost in overdose and have been fighting a stigma due to the disease of addiction,” Lemma-Bozza explained.

Lemma-Bozza said the tribute is a “powerful reminder of the importance of supporting an individual’s struggle with addiction and working toward a future free from the devastation of overdose deaths.”

Commissioner Alphonse Petracco spoke to the importance of events like Black Balloon Day – and its effect on his life.

“One thing I learned about any kind of abuse or addiction from my own loved ones and working in public safety, is that these people don't want to be like that – they fight every day,” Petracco said.

“It's easy for us – who are blessed, who have never had an addiction – to pass judgment, but until you're watching it affect your own household, you really don’t know,” Petracco added. “But as my mother used to say, where there's life, there's hope.”

“There is no one anywhere in the world who is immune from drug abuse,” Commissioner Mauro Tucci agreed.

Other local officials supporting the tribute included commissioners Joseph Scarpelli and Tom Evans.

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