LOCAL STORY community. He had been volunteering with other organizations and helping in so many different ways.” She even learned he had been a long-time member of the African American Council in Denver. “He really broke all of the stereotypes of individuals experiencing homelessness,” Seybold said. The VOICE was planning a memorial for Pride when COVID-19 restrictions made it an impossibility. Seybold said more than 350 people were expected to come together to remember Pride. Now, like so many others, it may be a long time before a group can gather to honor his memory. “I think it is a reminder that people often die too young and for senseless reasons when they are living in homelessness and poverty,” Seybold said. “That was a really tough loss for us.” Individuals living unhoused existences die from many different causes and often have multiple contributing factors. They are more likely to die from trauma or accidents than their housed counterparts. Trauma includes violence but also exposure to extreme temperatures. With COVID-19 came an resulting in the deaths of at least 14 people in Denver who were stricken with the virus while living on the streets. WE’RE NOT DOING ENOUGH According to Alderman, the annual vigil serves as a call to action because every year the number of individuals dying while living on the streets of Denver goes up. “If more people are dying while experiencing homelessness, then we’re not doing enough,” Alderman said. “It is a call to the community that not only do we need to remember these individuals that passed, but we also need to do better to make sure these numbers don’t continue to increase.” As the vigil wound down, the somber mood of the vigil CREDIT: GILES CLASEN February 2020. He was adventurous and on occasion would scrape together enough money to visit friends or go watch a basketball game in other cities. When he was found, the only ID he had with him was his Denver VOICE badge. Authorities had trouble tracking down Pride’s family, so they reached out to Jennifer Seybold, executive director of the Denver VOICE. With a little help from Facebook, Seybold was able to reach Pride’s family. Then, she began to learn more about Pride than she had known while he was alive. “He was an amazing person,” Seybold said. “When he passed, I heard from hundreds of community members. I had no idea that he was doing so much in the Denver attendees did not go unnoticed by some of those visiting the Christkindl Market. One woman leaving the Market, strobe wand in-hand, inquired about the vigil. Upon learning the purpose of the quiet gathering, she said to the friend leaving with her, “I didn’t even know this was happening. It’s so sad. We should do something about it.” ■ additional vulnerability, CREDIT: GILES CLASEN CREDIT: GILES CLASEN February 2021 DENVER VOICE 7
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