Victims and survivors of the 2015 San Bernardino terror attack honored with memorial
A memorial was unveiled Friday to honor the lives of the 14 victims, as well as those who survived, the San Bernardino mass shooting back in 2015.
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Long-stemmed yellow roses rest over the nameplates of each of the 14 victims who lost their lives seven years ago during the San Bernardino terrorism attack.
"Bennetta Betbadal, she was my mother," said Jolene Verdejyou, the victim's daughter.
For Verdejyou, the art installment called the Curtain of Courage provided a place to connect with her mother, a way to honor her life in the city where she lost her.
"It's just comforting that, you know, I can come back," she said.
For Selihom Asmelish and her family, sitting down next to the name of her uncle Isaac Amanios six and half years later feels like coming home.
"Like he's there. You can just sit and think, and you can feel his presence there with you," Asmelish said. "It's very special to us."
The artist, Walter Hood, said they wanted the memorial to a peaceful, celebratory place.
"We also wanted it to be a celebration of life, akin to a small set of chapels, each signifying an individual loss," he said.
At a private unveiling ceremony for the victim's families, survivors and first responders, Hood said he wished this was the last tribute of its kind that would have to be built in this country.
"But as we see in our country, we're facing this more and more and more. Hopefully, coming to places like this, we can be reminded not only of the individuals, but what or duties are to make sure things like this don't happen again," Hood said.
Though it marks a dark time in San Bernardino history, when two shooters stormed the Inland Region Center and fired upon county employees during a meeting, it also presents an opportunity to remember the light their loved ones left behind in this world.
"It brings back a lot of memories that we have and that we created with him," said Asmelish.
The memorial opens to the public at the San Bernardino County Government Center on Monday.
