The Office of the District Attorney General will hold a ceremony to remember those lost to homicide in the Tenth Judicial District. The Ceremony, called a “Season to Remember” will be held at Keith Memorial Church, 600 West Madison Avenue in Athens, at 7 p.m. this Tuesday.
The ceremony will be much like the one held in Nashville each year for the same purpose. Families of homicide victims are welcome and encouraged to bring a Christmas ornament with them to the ceremony. During the ceremony, the families can place their ornament on a wreath that will be placed on display in the courthouse in the county where they live.
All families who live in the Tenth Judicial District are invited to attend and participate. If a family lives outside the Tenth Judicial District but had a family member who was murdered here, they are invited to participate as well. If a family lives here, but their loved one was murdered in another place, they are welcome to come and bring an ornament as well.
The Tenth Judicial District is comprised of Bradley, McMinn, Monroe and Polk counties.
District Attorney General Stephen Crump spoke to the importance of ceremonies like this. He said, “We can never forget those we have lost. Violent crime robs not just the victims of their lives, but each member of a family of so much more. It also robs every community of a sense of security and safety. We must always remember the loss and do everything we can to help these families.”
The statewide Season to Remember is held each year in Nashville, with families coming from all over the state to participate. This is the first Season to Remember to be held in the Tenth Judicial District.