Victims of violence to be remembered during vigil
As part of a nationwide Day of Mourning, disability rights advocates in the Pittsburgh area will hold a candlelight vigil from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Cathedral of Learning to honor the lives of people with disabilities murdered by their families and caretakers.
The Pittsburgh vigil is being hosted by Students for Disability Advocacy at the University of Pittsburgh.
More than 50 such murders have been reported in the United States in the last five years, with more than 20 in the last year alone.
The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, Not Dead Yet and the National Council on Independent Living held the first Day of Mourning in 2012 as a response to the murder of George Hodgins, a 22-year-old autistic man from California, by his mother.
Day of Mourning is a national event, with around 15 participating cities each year.