In Woodland Park on Saturday, it was measured in shoes.
Some 277 pairs, along 300 feet of walkway in Dowling Gardens, bore witness to unfathomable pain: of young people who are no longer there to fill those boots, sandals and sneakers.
Teen suicide— suicide and mental trauma in general — was the subject of a sobering exhibit brought to the town by the Stigma Free Task Force, a group that since 2016 has been raising awareness of a growing problem.
On each pair of shoes, a tag with a quote. Actual words from a young person who died by suicide. "I can't understand why I can't be happy." "I have to sit alone at lunch." "My coach doesn't believe in me." "I am afraid to tell my parents that I am gay." "Everyone thinks I have so much to live for, except me." "My boyfriend hits me." "Every day I want to die."