Saturday marked the fourth annual National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims.
Scripps Howard News Service posted, "Hundreds of murder victims to be honored at upcoming conference." It by Adam Liebenforfer.
The forum was created in 2007 when Congress designated Sept. 25 as the National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims. Robert and Charlotte Hullinger, of Cincinnati, the main advocates for the day, formed Parents of Murdered Children following the 1978 murder of their 19-year-old daughter, Lisa, while she was studying in Germany. The annual day of observance is on the date Lisa was murdered. The parents' group has more than 75 chapters in the U.S., according to its website.
The article also notes a Scripps Howard News Service investigative package on unsolved murders. It's available here.
In New York, "Families of murder victims hold memorial ceremony," by Lauren Stanforth appears in the Albany Times Union.
The Albany/Capital District chapter of Parents of Murdered Children sponsored Sunday's event locally. A national forum was held Saturday in Washington, D.C., to explore issues survivors face and ways their needs can be met. A wall honoring the names of thousands of murder victims, which also includes local victims' names, was also unveiled at the national event.
The short Schenectady ceremony was preceded by a talk by Schenectady resident David Kaczynski, brother of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski. David Kaczynski is now executive director of New Yorkers for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. He talked about how his life has been greatly affected by meeting and having relationships with the families of his brothers' victims. He said the most important thing victims' families can do is share their stories in the hopes that it can dissuade others from violence.
"We know that trauma unaddressed is trauma that could be relived," David Kaczynski said. "The real fear is that kids in these communities will grow up thinking this is normal."
The OpEd, "Today is a day to reflect on lives lost," by Barbara Keshen appeared in the Concord Monitor.
Created by Congress, the day increases public awareness through events focused on lives lost to homicide; the trauma surviving families, friends and communities face in the aftermath of homicide; and ways in which victim service programs and allied professionals can assist survivors.
Although homicide statistics have decreased nationally and New Hampshire's remain the lowest in the country, any murder has a continual ripple effect on surviving families of victims and the communities where the victims' lived. A murdered child whose promise will never be realized means a potential teacher, astronaut, doctor or policymaker is gone forever. Murdered adults will cease supporting their elderly parents. They will not attend their children's graduations or weddings, or see their grandchildren. Instead of a family member, there's an empty chair at the dining table where he or she once sat.
Murder leaves a hole in the hearts of the victims' families and in the hearts of our communities - a hole that executing those who murder does not fill. In one way or another, we all share the loss when anyone is murdered.
Margaret Summers posted, "Gone Too Soon: Honoring Homicide Victims." She's the Communications Director for the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.
Murder decimates not only families and friends, but also entire communities. Murder rips away our teachers, our doctors and nurses, our police officers, our sanitation workers, everyone who once made a significant contribution to our neighborhoods. As the title of a song Stevie Wonder sings has it, they are “Gone Too Soon.”
The annual National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims on September 25 gives us all the opportunity to remember those lost to homicide, and honor their memories. Cities and states hold programs, workshops and other events focusing on the impact of murder on families and communities, the issues survivors of homicide victims face, and ways to better support and serve survivors.
The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty has long had the participation of family members of murder victims on its Board of Directors and in its states’ Affiliates. They have insisted that their murdered loved ones would not have wanted their killers executed in their names. However, they recognized that in the national debate over capital punishment, the needs of homicide victims’ survivors are sometimes unintentionally overlooked. NCADP’s new program, Rachel’s Fund, is designed to strengthen the bonds between the abolition movement and families of murder victims and of death row prisoners, so that together we may help create effective policies that prevent violent crime, ensure our communities’ safety, and assist victims’ survivors.
Related posts are in the victims' issues index.
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