‘They’re gone but not forgotten’: Los Angeles homeless community mourns those killed by city policies

In a carpark north of Los Angeles a makeshift wooden altar stands decorated with photographs of people. Some are smiling, others are serious but all were members of the Van Nuys homeless community, and all have died within the last six months.

“What we’re doing today is to honour our family that had lived here, homeless and struggling, that have now passed on,” Kookie, a community member, said during a memorial held on Saturday.

“We all came here by ourselves but we ended up being with family, we ended up real close,” Kookie continued. "It’s sad when one goes but you’re not promised tomorrow. And they’re gone but not forgotten.”

Around 30 people attended the event to remember those who’d passed and draw attention to failings of the city government’s unhoused policies, which organisers say have increased the numbers of homeless people dying.

Shocking data from the Los Angeles Medical Examiner revealed that more than 2,000 unhoused people died in Los Angeles