To many people, the year 2020 will go down as one of the worst years in modern history.

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Instead of complaining and rehashing this past year's horrendous events, which began with a worldwide pandemic, WFSB has reported that Waterbury residents gathered at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park off Main Street to pay tribute to lives lost, especially due to gun violence, opioid addiction, and COVID-19.

One of the many participants who attended the vigil, Anthony Morrissey, said it best, "Every time we do that, their legacy lives on." Morrissey lost his son, Brian Cody, in 2019 due to opioid addiction. The overall purpose of the memorial vigil was to "channel their hurt and concerns into making a better future." Morrissey went on to say, "young people are needed at the frontlines. They can make a difference in what's going on here. They are what's driving their communities, not the people sitting in the offices."

Ice the Beef, a Connecticut Grassroots non-profit based in New Haven, was at Waterbury's vigil last night. Their mission is to peacefully help end gun violence in the inner cities of America.

6,324 Connecticut residents have died from COVID-19, with the numbers still rising. Opioid addiction has taken hundreds of lives in Connecticut, especially when the chemical Fentanyl is involved.

According to an article in ctpost.com dated December 9, 2020, the overall number of people killed by guns has declined slightly from 2010 to 2018. The laws that were passed to limit guns after the 2012 Sandy Hook shootings contributed to the decline of gun deaths.

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