Colorado Independent Media Center

On December 16th, the Grand Valley Coalition for the Homeless held its annual ceremony for those who died on the streets during the last year. It was bitter-cold despite the bright sun shine, and three inches of snow blanketed the ground. Dozens of men and women gathered early to get into the soup line, The Red Pill was able to sit down with Wild Man a Grand Junction native who has been on the streets for that last year and half.

“I knew Lori Adams. She passed out drunk and died of exposure,” Wild Man said. “That’s how a lot of people pass away.” Wild Man came close to being one of the names commemorated at the service. He had a bad case of bronchitis down at his river camp. “I’d’ve died down there, if it weren’t my friends who got me off the river,” Wild Man said. I asked Wild Man what he thought the nation should do to help the homeless.

“We need to kill out the money to the military, our whole country is based on the military, and use that money for the people on the street.”

After a lunch, which consisted of a thin potato soup, stale bread, and weak coffee people began hanging cards, bearing the names of those who have died on the streets of Grand Junction, on a small tree that was planted in 2003 in memorial.

This year eleven cards were hung from the tree. Teresa Black, Executive Director of Homeward Bound of the Grand Valley, said that this represented the best count, and that some of the names represented those who passed away previous years. “We aren’t doing all that we can be doing,” Black said, “I hope next year we have no new names to put on the tree.”

In Loving Memory Of:

Lori Adams
Steve Hickson
Michael Steel
Ms. Brooks
Hiedi Bray
Magan Chapman
Dennis Miller
Steve White
Christine Fryer
Dave Pendergrass
Richard Bonnell

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