(Boston) Under the sound of bagpipes and the gaze of a few runners, families of victims of the Boston Marathon bombing gathered on Saturday morning to walk where their loved ones lost their lives, he 10 years ago to the day.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who was campaigning for city council at the time of the attack, was on hand with the families for the commemoration, as was Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey.
In front of each memorial set up at the spot where the two bombs exploded, the small crowd observed a moment of silence.
This more solemn ceremony was followed by a large public rally on Saturday afternoon, in which thousands of people participated. Marathon runners, dressed in their yellow and blue jumpsuits, as well as several players from the Boston Red Sox were among the number.
“The memory of that day never leaves me,” said 71-year-old Jennifer Black, who was one of the marathon participants in 2013. Despite the pain that still haunts her, the Ohio realtor will be back on Monday to run the marathon.
“There’s been so much loss, so much pain…all because of hate,” she said, sobbing. We have to take care of each other. »
Three people were killed and more than 260 others were injured when bombs exploded near the marathon finish line on April 15, 2013. Lu Lingzi, a 23-year-old Chinese student who graduated from Boston University, Krystle Campbell, a 29-year-old restaurant manager, and Martin Richard, an eight-year-old boy who had gone to watch the marathon with his family, died that day.
Then, in a manhunt that kept the whole town on edge for four days, Massachusetts Institute of Technology agent Sean Collier was shot and killed as he was in his car. Constable Dennis Simmonds, of the municipal police, was also killed during a clash with the bombers.
It was finally a bloodied and injured Dzhokhar Tsarnaev that the police found in the Watertown district, where he had hidden in a boat stored in a backyard a few hours after the death of his brother.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, died when his brother hit him with a car while trying to flee the scene where they had just clashed with the police.
“I believe we all continue to live with the memory of those tragic days 10 years ago,” former Boston Police Commissioner Bill Evans recently confessed.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was sentenced to death for his participation in the attacks. However, he has made headlines several times in recent years for trying to avoid his execution.
The bombing not only united Boston—its people made “Boston Strong” their rallying cry—it also inspired many aspiring runners and inspired dozens of people to run the marathon.
“It really showed the resilience of our sport, our city, and our desire to make the Boston Marathon better,” said Boston Athletic Association President Jack Fleming.
“The 2013 bombing made people see even more clearly what the Boston Marathon has always represented: the feeling of freedom that comes from running. »
On Saturday, the focus was on the memory of the victims and survivors of the attack. But, as Mayor Wu recalled, this moment also served to “focus on the future of the city, our communities and our families.”