Thunderstorms rumbled on the longest, darkest, perhaps most miserable night of the year. Out in the shadows somewhere, in one of the wealthiest pockets of America, a homeless person would soon be taking his or her last breaths.
Every day in Orange County, at least one unhoused person dies, according to data from the coroner’s office. Among the oldest in 2023 was Dewey Worley, 86, who died in Anaheim on April 12. Among the youngest: Lorine Hoang, 12, who took her own life in Orange on Sept. 23.
Paul Kerr, 66. Mark Fava, 62. Kevin Parker, 56.
Candles were lit — and names were somberly read aloud — to commemorate each of the lives lost over the past year at an interfaith service at St. Timothy Catholic Church in Laguna Niguel on Thursday, Dec. 21. It’s a ritual that takes place in cities across the nation on the winter solstice, when the Earth’s poles are tilted farthest from the sun, ushering in the shortest day and longest night of the year.
“For many, this service will be the only commemoration of their lives,” said Mike Valerio, deputy grand knight of the Knights of Columbus St. Timothy Council. “We say their lives mattered. We mourn their passing.”
There were 193 names read aloud at the first memorial eight years ago. This year, there were 511.
David Gulmatico, 31. Melina Sierra Martinez, 30. Christopher Zimmerman, 64.
“The problem gets worse, rather than being solved,” said Paul Finley, senior pastor at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Laguna Woods. “It’s not right. Something must be done.”
Faith leaders from Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Judaism and Islam prayed for the souls of the dead. They demanded that those of us still here learn to see with eyes of compassion and exhorted us to action in recognition of our common humanity.
“The shocking number of people who die on the streets of Orange County indicates our own failures to adequately house, provide services for, accompany, and build up our community in ways that make it easier for people to flourish,” said Greg Walgenbach, director of the Diocese of Orange’s Office of Life, Justice & Peace, in a prepared statement. “We are obligated to act and welcome this opportunity for prayerful remembrance of the lives of these dear neighbors.”
Raymond Lovaloy, 62. Stuart Ogle, 72. Michael Morrison, 51.
Desperation consumed so many.
There were at least 19 suicides, including two gunshot wounds to the head. One person jumped from an overpass. Another jumped from the sixth floor of a building. There were eight hangings, including one with a garden hose, one with a chain, one with a belt and three with a rope. One person put a plastic bag over his head and connected it to an argon tank, which is a gas used in welding.
Thirty-four pedestrians died in altercations with cars, trains and bicycles. There were six homicides, including two gun deaths and four stabbings. Three people drowned, including one in a flood control channel where they may have been seeking shelter when rains came. Another died of “mechanical asphyxia,” pinned inside a metal donation bin.
But the most common cause of death, as always, was linked to drug and/or alcohol use, with some 160 deaths confirmed and test results pending for another 125.
Suzanne Applequist, 38. Xueyuan Zhang, 39. Larry Bryant, 68.
They were young. They were old.
- Among people younger than 30, there were 42 deaths.
- Among those aged 30 to 49, there were 214 deaths.
- Among those aged 50 to 69, there were 205 deaths.
- Among those 70 and older, there were 31 deaths.
Volunteers cupped lit candles in their palms as each name was read, carrying it down the church’s main aisle and placing it on a too-long table that soon glowed and groaned with the weight of all that was lost.
The recitation of the names could be chilling. Imagine, many years ago, the care the new parents took to choose the perfect name for their new baby. Richard Longacre II. Carlos Martinez Perez. To honor someone beloved, perhaps. Or borrowing the legacy of someone great, to inspire and guide. Imagine the excited anticipation they felt for how this child’s life would unfold.
Stephen Abbott, 78. Walter Gomez-Juarez, 48. Rebecca Powers, 62.
Most of the unhoused died in just a handful of cities in central and Northern O.C. — Santa Ana (98), Anaheim (73), Orange (45) and Garden Grove (39). But virtually no community was without tragedy: Even more far-flung and difficult to access Foothill Ranch, Ladera Ranch and Rancho Santa Margarita each had one person die within their boundaries.
The elected leaders of Orange County’s 34 cities must take a good, long, hard look in the mirror. The county’s Commission to End Homelessness asked them to consider hosting smaller, local cold-weather emergency shelters, rather than depending on National Guard armories in Santa Ana and Fullerton to serve the entire county’s needs.
Just six responses came back. Kudos to Costa Mesa and Anaheim, who expressed interest. And to Laguna Beach, home of the only emergency shelter in Orange County that’s owned and funded by a city.
In this season of peace on Earth and good will toward men — shame on the rest of you.
The Homeless Persons’ Interreligious Memorial Service is organized by the Diocese of Orange, St. Timothy Catholic Church, Our Father’s Table, the Knights of Columbus St. Timothy Council No. 128341, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, Volunteer Network OC and the Orange County Interfaith Network.
“We are blessed. We should be thankful,” said Ahmed Soboh, chair of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California. “Express gratitude not only with words, but with action. Extend the hand of hope.”
Michael Anaya, 54. Mike Carbonara, 56. Scott Gee, 35.
“When we take care of the needy people,” said Maneck Bhujwala, mobedyar (priest) of the Zarathushti faith, “then we can establish the kingdom of God on Earth.”
