MADISON, Wis. — With a winter storm and bitterly cold temperatures looming, several dozen people took part in a memorial event on the Capitol Square Wednesday afternoon to highlight the hardships those experiencing homelessness face, especially during the winter.
The Longest Night Homeless Persons Memorial Service was one of hundreds held across the country on Wednesday on the winter solstice, the day that sees the least daylight in the northern hemisphere, said Linda Ketcham, the executive director of JustDane, one of the groups that organized the memorial. It aims to serve as a visual reminder that not everyone has a place to stay warm on the cold winter nights.
“It’s a way of celebrating the lives of people we’ve lost who were unhoused and it’s a way of grieving their loss,” Ketcham said.
The demonstration began in Madison in the wake of the death of 38-year-old Dwayne Warren in June 2009. Warren, who was experiencing homelessness, died of sepsis, which could have been treated with a prescribed antibiotic. His body was found on a bench in the area.
Attendees circled the Capitol along with a horse-drawn hearse.
“It’s our way of reminding people that being unhoused, not having enough affordable housing, truly affordable housing takes a heavy heavy toll on people,” Ketcham said.
JustDane is asking for donations of warm socks, long underwear, scarves, gloves and hats. Those items can be dropped off at First Congregational United Church of Christ on University Avenue.
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