The names of more than 180 homicide victims were read over the noon hour in Central Park’s Rose Garden as part of the annual homicide victim’s remembrance ceremony.
The names, largely representing the past 12 years, hailed from around the Capital Region. The list took more than five minutes to complete.
“It’s almost overwhelming,” City Court Judge Vincent Versaci told the crowd after the list was complete. “That’s very much our intention. I want to make sure I say each one of the names. It gives a feeling of the overwhelming loss.”
The names included those killed years ago, including Vito Masi, the 1995 victim of a gunshot outside Kelly’s bar on Hattie Street, and the fairly recent, llike Hassan Rainey, the September 2007 victim of a street shooting at Craig Street and Duane Avenue.
Friends and family of many homicide victims — including the parents of Masi and Rainey — attended the annual ceremony. Many of the rose bushes in the garden are dedicated to individual homicide victims.
The ceremony is sponsored by the Vito A. Masi Memorial Center for Nonviolence and is part of National Crime Victim’s Rights Week.
This year’s list numbered 186, up from 162 at last year’s ceremony.
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