Portraits of fentanyl victims were balanced on black folding chairs that lined the lawn in front of Colorado’s Capitol on Sunday.
The chairs were decorated with flowers and birthday balloons. Mourners studied the faces of their children and people they would never know.
“Joshua met (basketball legend) Charles Barkley on his 10th birthday and Charles said to him, ‘I know it’s your birthday, so I don’t want you drinking or gambling too much.’ Joshua was so excited,” said Leslie, a grieving mother whose son was a victim of fentanyl.
Families of fentanyl poisoning victims listen to Andrea Thomas, executive director of Voices for Awareness, as she tells the story her daughter Ashley's death following a fentanyl poisoning in 2018.
Leslie had traveled from the East Coast to tell Joshua’s story. She was one of many speakers who gathered outside the Capitol for National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day. The event was both a memorial and a call to action.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine, was involved in 77% of all teen overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2021, organizers said. Cartels lace street drugs with fentanyl because of its addictive qualities. These drugs can be accessed by everyone, including kids.
“Out of the 900 victims of fentanyl poisoning last year, 29 of them were children,” said John Kellner, district attorney for Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties.
Synthetic opioid-related deaths are becoming more common. The number of overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids in 2020 was more than 18 times the number in 2013, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Because of those soaring numbers, the goal of Sunday's event was to attach faces and stories to the statistics.
“On Aug. 14, 2021, Joshua and I went on a bike ride. We talked about life and Charles Barkley. We said our ‘I love you’s’ and ‘goodbyes’ like always. That day was one of my favorite memories,” said Leslie. Her husband Charlie stood next to her on stage, holding Joshua’s portrait.
Organizers hoped that the event would fuel legislative action. Facing Fentanyl, a subsidiary of Voices for Awareness, sent a letter to President Joe Biden this month asking him to declare a national emergency for the fentanyl poisoning deaths plaguing the country.
A woman places flowers at the base of a memorial that read "You Should be Here."
A woman holds up a sign to spread awareness about the dangers of fentanyl poisoning.
“Fentanyl has quickly become one of the three top priorities (of our) office,” said Cole Finegan, U.S. attorney for the District of Colorado.
The final aim of the day was to spread awareness about the risks of fentanyl. Organizers distributed free drug testing kits and educational materials.
“We want you to know the facts — what we did not know in time,” said Andrea Thomas, executive director of Voices for Awareness, who started the nonprofit agency after her daughter Ashley died of a fentanyl overdose in 2018.
With the crowd listening solemnly, Leslie finished her story.
“A year ago today, Joshua lay on his apartment floor as the sun rose and set on his lifeless body. He knew he was getting high and blowing off steam. He did not know he was going to die.”
When Leslie finished, everyone stood. Families gathered the portraits of their lost loved ones and weaved their way through the memorial, remembering.
“Today is a big step forward for Colorado,” said Coco Peterson, whose sister died of fentanyl poisoning in 2019.
A grieving family member walks the fentanyl victim memorial holding a portrait of her deceased family member.
“It brings together all facets of the fight — families, addicts, politicians — to build community, bring awareness and make sure ‘fentanyl’ is a word that everybody knows. It needs to be.”
