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.