Los Angeles County will hold an online ceremony Wednesday, December 1, marking the burials of 1,780 people who died in 2018 but whose remains were left unclaimed by relatives or loved ones.
Observer Janice Hahn, who spoke during the memorial, called for a meeting of the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to be postponed in memory of the dead.
“This ceremony is part of a commitment that the county has upheld since 1896 to ensure that everyone in Los Angeles County, whatever their means, is laid to rest with dignity and respect. He may have left this world alone, but he was one of us,” said Hahn, his voice cracking and trembling, “and to honor his life and mourn his death.” Our responsibility is on us.”
Last year’s interfaith recall was also virtual due to health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The service is scheduled to include the Lord’s Prayer in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Ukrainian, and prayers, songs, and blessings by a rabbi, a believer, a Native American sage, and pastor from several Christian denominations. It will be livestreamed on Facebook at 10am https://www.facebook.com/events/424531369300503/.
The individuals to be honored at the Los Angeles County Crematorium and Cemetery in Boyle Heights died in 2018. The county typically conducts funeral rites for three years before burial to give family members and loved ones a chance to claim them. The ashes were placed in a mass grave a few days earlier and a marker indicating the year of cremation would be placed over the plot.
While this number does not reflect pandemic-related deaths, the total is about 20% higher than the average over the past five years from 2016-2020. The total number of unclaimed dead was less than 1,500 till last year, when 1,547 persons were not claimed by family or friends.
