'It helps': Families thankful for memorial commemorating lives lost to COVID-19
Roughly 700 flags placed in Lafayette Square
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Updated: 9:35 AM CST Jan 20, 2021
Roughly 700 flags placed in Lafayette Square
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Updated: 9:35 AM CST Jan 20, 2021
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YOU THOSE LATEST COVID-19 NUMBERS EVERY DAY, RIGHT AND WITH COVID FATIGUE BEING A VERY REAL THING ALMOST A YEAR INTO THIS PANDEMIC IT CAN SOMETIMES BE HARD TO REMEMBER THAT THOSE NUMBERS REPRESENT REAL PEOPLE HERE BEHIND ME THESE FLAGS THEY REPRESENT THE MORE THAN 700 PEOPLE IN NEW ORLEANS WHO HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES TO COVID-19. SHE’S LIKE ONE AND A PHRASE VETERAN DIDN’T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON AND SHE PASSED AWAY ON APRIL 2 6 IT’S BEEN ALMOST THREE HUNDRED DAYS SINCE FLORENCE FRANKLIN LOST HER COUSIN JILL TO COVID-19. WE WAS JUST AWARE OF COLGATE AND WATCH AND THE NEXT ONE. SHE’S GONE. FRANKLIN WAS WATCHING TV WHEN SHE SAW THE TOUCHING TRIBUTE AT LAFAYETTE SQUARE AND I SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT I GOT TO GO AND AND BRING JAIL TO FLOWERS AND I DON’T LET HER KNOW. SHE’S STILL AT ALL HOT AND SHE’S SHE IS TRULY TRULY MISSED ROUGHLY 700 FLAGS FILL THE LAWN THAT FACES GALLIER HALL CITY LEADERS AND COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS PLACED THEM THERE TO PAY TRIBUTE TO THE HEARTBREAKING TOLL CORONAVIRUS HAS CAUSED THE GESTURE DID NOT GO UNNOTICED TO SEE YOU KNOW, HOW MANY LOOK AT ALL THE FLAGS? THAT’S THAT’S TOO MANY LIVES LOST EVEN WITH JUST A FEW OF THEM. IT TOOK MY BREATH AWAY. I REALLY HAD TO SEE THIS. IT’S JUST BEYOND IN THE SAD TRUTH IS MORE FLAGS WILL BE NEEDED AND IT SEEMS LIKE ONLY YESTERDAY ONLY YESTERDAY, BUT IT’S FRANKLIN SEES IT A LOVED ONE IS NEVER REALLY GONE AS LONG AS YOU KEEP THEIR MEMORY ALIVE. IT HELPS IT HELPS LIKE THEN THEY HAVEN’T BEEN FORGOTTEN. AND THIS AFTERNOON THE CITY HELD A MEMORIAL SERVICE A BRIEF, BUT POWERFUL ONE AT GALLIER HALL BEHIND ME. IT WAS NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC BECAUSE OF THOSE COVID-19 SAFETY CONCERNS, BUT IT WAS STREAMED LIVE ONLINE REPORTING LIVE IN