Students at Garfield High School in Seattle came together for an event aimed at remembering classmates and young people lost to gun violence. The gathering, held outside the Central District school, was the first edition of what organizers are calling an annual chalk and talk event.
The format of the event was simple but powerful. Dozens of people wrote messages with chalk on the ground outside the high school, turning the pavement into a canvas for tributes and reflections, and creating a space where the community could come together to share grief and support.
The event carried added weight because of recent losses tied to the school and the wider area. It came two years after Mar Murphy Payne Jr. was shot and killed on the Garfield campus, a death that shook the school community and left a lasting mark on those who knew him.
It also fell close to two years since Xavier Landry was killed in a separate shooting in Auburn. The two young people, lost in different incidents, became part of the reason families and students felt the need to create a dedicated moment to remember those taken by gun violence.
For the parents, the chalk and talk was about more than mourning. They said they hoped the event could serve as a jumping off point to connect with the community and to remember their loved ones, framing it as a step toward reengaging young people with the community around them.
Those who spoke described a community that had once been tightly knit but had felt fractured in the aftermath of the violence. They talked about how rich and strong that connection had been, and how the past two years had been difficult, even as the gathering itself brought a sense of warmth and joy.
Seeing neighbors and families show up was, for the parents, something words could hardly capture. Both Iran and Lanisha said they hoped the event could continue year after year, becoming a recurring occasion to honor those lost while strengthening the bonds within the community going forward.