ShareThisSAN FRANCISCO -- Worn oxfords, floral flip-flops, in-line skates, sparkly high heels, fuzzy blue slippers.Each pair of shoes placed early Saturday morning in a neat rectangular block on the green lawn of Crissy Field represented a person -- teenager, artist, mother, doctor, war veteran -- who has taken a fatal jump from the Golden Gate Bridge.As gray mist underlined and then overtook the famous orange span, about 500 friends and family members gathered to commemorate those they lost to suicide and to assert that the 71-year-old span -- widely thought to be the No. 1 suicide magnet in the world -- should be altered to prevent further deaths.Officials say 1,300 Golden Gate Bridge suicides are confirmed; however, they estimate there are several hundred more people whose remains have never been recovered.Dayna Whitmer, 51, said she lost her 20-year-old son, Mattie, in November. Whitmer said Mattie had been playing video games at home with his younger brother until 1 a.m. His brother went to bed, and at about 6 a.m. Mattie drove to the bridge, where investigators later found his car. Although his remains were never found, officials are certain the young massage-school student jumped from the bridge."In his case, I know (a suicide barrier) would have helped," said Whitmer, a medical technician who lives in Hercules, Calif. She said a later investigation of Mattie's computer showed that "the last thing he did online was look to see if any barriers were up, and then he got directions."Whitmer, who wore a kelly green T-shirt with a picture of Mattie on the front on Saturday, celebrated her son's 21st birthday in May by doing something he might have done -- "I got drunk and got a tattoo," she said, laughing. Sitting just above her heart, it shows Mattie's name over a green Celtic cross, honoring her son's recent interest in his Irish heritage."As much as (the bridge) is a beautiful icon and we love it, to let (suicides) continue is just senseless," Whitmer said.Many who gathered for Saturday's two-hour event -- which included speakers from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and a 3-mile "Out of the Darkness" fundraising walk -- support the erection of a new rail, taller than the 4-foot one now in place, that would be designed to thwart suicide attempts.While the first suicides date to just after the bridge was completed in the late 1930s, the issue has gained new prominence through recent media attention, including the 2005 documentary "The Bridge," which captured death leaps from the span. The number of suicides has also increased.On average, 24 people each year commit suicide from the bridge. So far this year, 12 people -- including one man Friday night -- have committed suicide jumping from the bridge, according to Marin County Coroner Ken Holmes. Last year had one of the highest tallies -- 34 confirmed and two unconfirmed."We're never going to stop all the suicides, but if we can stop the vast majority of people who come here and jump in a momentary decision, that's important," said Holmes, a 33-year veteran of the department. "Research shows that if you can break that cycle, only for a moment, they might not do it."Four of the six alternatives set out in July by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District entail erecting a screened barrier that would rise 10 to 12 feet above the bridge's sidewalk surface. The other alternatives are to build nothing or to install a plastic-coated, stainless-steel net 20 feet below the bridge.Though a recent, unscientific online poll by the district found that 75 percent of 1,600 respondents opposed any changes to the bridge, the net seemed to be the most attractive alternative. However, the net proposal also is among the most complex: After a person jumps, officials would need to close a lane of traffic for a couple of hours to deploy two specially trained workers using a truck outfitted with a mechanical arm to pluck the jumper from the net.The 19-member district board, composed of representatives from six Northern California counties, is expected to meet late next month to decide whether to move ahead with a suicide barrier.E-mail Kelly Zito kzito(at)sfchronicle.com.(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Shoes gathred to represent Golden Gate Bridge suicide victims
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searching for Father & Mother from Vallejo - PEACE BELT
greetings--- I am searching for a couple from Vallejo CA whose son committed suicide last year by jumping from the GG Bridge. If you have any suggestions on how I might contact them please let me know. I believe th father may be work for the fire department in Vallejo. We shared some very special moments with the INTERNATIONAL PEACE BELT at the temple rubble in Black Rock City before they headed home. They took some photographs during this time and I would love to connect with them again.
Pat Rusich
Hercules CA
www.artistsforworldpeace.org
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OMG !! this is unbelievable
OMG !! this is unbelievable part "Officials say 1,300 Golden Gate Bridge suicides are confirmed; however, they estimate there are several hundred more people whose remains have never been recovered."
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These people aren't victims.
These people aren't victims. Victims are chosen. These people do this willingly. Basically this articale is saying that these deaths are other people's faults.
What a ridiculously stupid comment
Victims are chosen? Whose definition is that? I guess you just like to make stuff up, like your creatice interpretation of this article.
These people are victim of a disease just like any other. It's called depression. It's clinical and biochemical in nature. It's as real a disease as cancer. Nobody is "basically blaming other people" although the galling insensitivity by ill informed apathetic selfish cretins like yourself does not help anybody who is suffering, no matter what the cause.
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Take away their bridges, and
Take away their bridges, and the suicidal folks will resort to shotguns and handguns, and that's terribly messy. I say we ENCOURAGE methods of suicide that are neat and tidy; like chucking yourself into the bay. Take the rails off and jump, the lot of you.
Just don't foul it up with your shoes ;)
let's hope the wind blows and one of them lands on you
Boy there's a lot of dumb ignorant and nasty people out there. Most people who jump do it for the easy access. The ones who have been intercepted do not statisically go on to use other methods. A person in crisis usually gets past the impulse in 90 days. I can tell if someone were to say to you "I'm at the lowest point in my life and I wanna kill myself" you'd hand them a loaded gun.
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It's a crying shame.
I am so sorrowful about all the people who take their own lives in this way. They were once babies and small children full of potential and hope. How does one arrive at the point where taking ones own life seems like a better alternative than living? I am saddened that this even occurs in this country.
Look at some of posts above and you'll get an idea
how one arrives "at the point where taking ones own life seems like a better alternative than living." The world is full of idiots and assholes and they get tired of it.
Just kidding. Of course there is depression but I say living amongst fools is a contributing factor.
Oh, and BTW, "this country"? Uh, they do it in other countries too, dear. Or don't you care about them?
Golden Gate Bridge
It is so sad to hear this kind of story, but why they choose this place to end their lives, a place full of tragedy.
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re:
Suicide is the term used for the deliberate self-destruction of a human being, by causing their body to cease life function. I've found this site www.wordse.com that may help you reduce suicide risk.
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Couldn't they just crawl to
Couldn't they just crawl to the edge of the net and jump off of it?