Mass Shootings

LA Nonprofit Traveling to Nashville to Create Public Memorials Honoring Shooting Victims

A Los Angeles nonprofit is headed to Nashville to build memorial altars, honoring six victims killed in Covenant School shooting.

Brendan Smialowski / AFP - Getty Images

A Los Angeles nonprofit will be traveling to Nashville to help create public memorial altars honoring the lives of the six victims killed in the Covenant School shooting Monday.

Three of the victims were students, all 9 years old, have been identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney. The three adults were identified as Cynthia Peak, age 61, Katherine Koonce, age 60, and Mike Hill, age 61.

Aside from creating the memorials the organization will also host public healing arts workshops, offer flowers for visitors to place near the memorials, and materials for dedications or letters.

Classroom of Compassion has created memorial sites across the country, all aimed at honoring victims of mass shootings.

The founders David Maldonado and Noah Reich have been doing this work for four years and operate under the motto, "I hope u know how loved u are."

Classroom of Compassion
Members from the Classroom of Compassion nonprofit traveled to Highland Park, Illinois to create memorials honoring the seven victims that were killed during a shooting at a Fourth of July parade. The gunman also injured dozens of other individuals.

Their mission is to cultivate and re-imagine a country that is more compassionate through healing spaces that are immersive. They build public memorial altars, host community art workshops, youth and teen workshops, and immersive healing spaces.

Recently the group helped build the community memorial space at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park honoring the 11 victims who were killed during a Lunar New Years celebration in January.

They have also built memorials in Uvalde, Texas; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Highland Park, Illinois; and Buffalo, New York. Their memorials have been photographed and shared across the country.

Both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have also visited their memorials, and placed flowers next to the victims photos.

The Covenant School shooting has become the fifth deadliest school shooting since 2012, affecting schools with students from Pre-K to 12th grade.

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