Homeless Memorial Service

Bonnie Briggs (s248_1132@hotmail.com)
Fri, 24 Apr 1998 15:30:58 PDT 

Bonnie Briggs
Hi gang,
  Anyone free on May 22/98? We are having our annual Homeless Memorial 
Service on that day. It will be from 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm in Nathan 
Phillips Square which is right in front of Toronto City Hall. The theme 
will be "while they are studying homelessness to death, the homeless are 
dying!" Guest speakers will be authour and activist, Linda McQuaig and 
authour and activist, Pat Capponi. There will also be an open mike to 
allow others to speak on the issue. There will be free food, consisting 
of borsch, cabbage rolls & sandwiches, with coffee, soft drinks and 
juice. Music will be provided by the Full Circle Band and the Eagleheart 
Native Drummers. Members of my drum circle may also be there, that is 
yet to be confirmed. The service always starts with a coffin being 
carried in to symbolize the homeless who have died. The coffin is placed 
in front of the stage and a large, white cloth is draped over it. Magic 
markers are provided for people to write the names of homeless friends 
who have died on the street. Sadly, we always end up with lots of names. 
This service has traditionally been held in November, to symbolize the 
hardship of homelessness. But, a couple of years ago, we decided to move 
it to May because, frankly, it's just too damn cold in November. Due to 
various circumstances, we weren't able to have the service last year. 
So, this will be the first May service. I am part of the organizing 
committee and I have been asked to put the word out on the Net. An 
announcement will also be on my Homeless Memorial website. 
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/2744 
  I hope some of you guys can make it. We are putting the word out 
everywhere. We want to really highlight the problem of homelessness. 
This is always a very powerful service. If you can't come on May 22/98, 
please have a moment of silence for the homeless dead. Thanks, guys. 
Bonnie

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