Homeless Remembrance Project

Roland Pettengill is remembered for his sweet spirit and lively sense of humor. He was beloved by the people he stayed with at St. Martin de Porres shelter and SHARE/WHEEL's Licton Springs Village.

Every month we highlight a person memorialized on one of our Leaves of Remembrance; this month, we honor Roland. Like him, the people we stand vigil and lay leaves for are not faceless statistics; they were valued members of our Beloved Community, and had their own talents, personalities, and stories. To share your memories of Roland, or learn more about the Leaves and the people we remember with them, you can visit our website by clicking the link below:

https://fallenleaves.org/roland-pettengill-1964-2023/

Yesterday was windy and bitterly cold and we’re so grateful to the intrepid people who joined our Women in Black vigil--especially friends of Dene Kristyne McGehee who was beloved by so many, and TOPS middle-schoolers who joined us as part of their “Planting the Seeds” project.

At the closing gathering, WHEEL elder Anitra said, “When I became homeless, the worst part was feeling isolated and invisible. But at least I didn't feel HATED. I didn't have KOMO telling me I was the reason Seattle was dying.”

When WHEEL founded these Women in Black vigils in the year 2000, we prayerfully and deliberately decided to stand for deaths that occurred outside, in public or by violence, because at the time these deaths were treated with victim-blaming contempt. Over the years--through our work to humanize and dignify--we witnessed a slow change in perspective. But it feels like that progress is eroding.

Two weeks ago a simple post announcing our vigil's delay had the comments section devolve into a seemingly gleeful expression of vicious, very hurtful and hateful perspectives about homeless people and their deaths.

Our original Women in Black vigil leaflets had this Call to Action: “We will resolve to be a community, homeless and housed, together.” We call on all who visit this page and stand our vigils to be respectful, to have compassion as though homelessness could happen to you--or anyone--and to work towards community and economic/housing justice, together.