A nine week official mourning for 13-year-old Andy Lopez has begun in the Moorland Area of Santa Rosa where Andy was shot seven times and killed by Sonoma County Sheriff Deputy Erick Gelhaus on October 22, 2013. Traditionally, a Novenario is nine days of prayer after a death. Attributed to the Catholic religion, these prayers assist the deceased in getting to Heaven, and it is the family’s way of getting some form of closure and peace over their loss.

The Novenario is being organized by the group “Andy’s Youth”, which is part of the Justice Coalition for Andy Lopez that formed shortly after Andy’s death. “Although we are deviating from custom, in the sense that instead of nine days we are making it nine weeks, I feel that what we are doing will be an inclusive approach,” said organizer Ramon Cairo. “We needed to find a thread that would allow us to address the subject of Andy’s death and what the Latino community of Santa Rosa needs to empower the community, while at the same time teaching viable ways to seek remediation and an address of grievances”.

The nine week Novenario will continue through April 22, which will be the 6th month since Andy’s death. The last day of prayer will be at the Memorial Site at Andy Lopez Memorial Park, which is located at the corner of W. Robles and Moorland Avenue in Santa Rosa.

Read More | Justice Coalition for Andy Lopez | See Also: Andy Lopez Memorial Rebuilt | Rosario for Andy Lopez

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