A memorial remembering black people who have been killed in the United States has been installed in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone.
The memorial, with flowers and 216 photos, honors people who have died in the country because of injustice, racism and police brutality, according to the organizers.
The photos were placed along a chain-link fence around a vacant lot at the corner of Yanonali and Helena streets.
“It’s really emotional, it’s really beautiful,” said Lindsay Ross, an artist with a studio in the Funk Zone. “It’s really powerful. It’s a really generous thing to share in our community. I think it is going to move a lot of people.”
She said she noticed the memorial while closing the gate of her studio.
Lead organizer Leticia Forney-Resch said wedding industry professionals organized the memorial and installed the photos about 5 p.m. Thursday. They worked with the property owner of the vacant lot to gain permission to install the memorial.
Photos include George Floyd, Meagan Hockaday, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others who have died.
Ross said the memorial can be a source of healing for the community.
“This is one way we can all engage in dialogue,” she said. “This is the most amazing use of this corner of the Funk Zone. It is such an active corner. I am so happy they put it right here.”
A version of the memorial has traveled through other parts of the United States.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.