Hate Crime Victims Memorial
The Montrose Remembrance Garden was created to honor LGBT victims of violence, hate crimes and bullying. The garden was located on the northwest corner of California and Grant street and was established on July 28th, 2011. This garden was created with the help of the Montrose Counseling Center, nightlife magnate Charles Armstrong and the Aaron Scheerhoorn Foundation for Change. On January 31, 2013 a granite marker was placed in the garden to commemorate the loved ones who were lost due to violence. [7]
The story behind the garden's founding may be traced back twenty years to the violent murder of Paul Broussard on July 4th, 1991. [2] However, the death of Aaron Scheerhorn was what caused the emergence of the garden. After his death, his friends wanted to plant a tree for him but it turned into something much bigger.
In addition to Broussard and Scheerhoorn the garden is dedicated to Fred Paez, Marion Pantzer, Charles Hebert, Fred Mangoine, Marc Kajas, Ross Allyn, Kenneth Cummings, Myra Ical, Gypsy Rodrigues, Asher Brown, Nathan Davis and all victims of violence, victims of hate crimes, and those who were subjected to bullying.
The remembrance garden has also been used for anti-violence vigils three times since it was created. One to honor a lesbian couple in Corpus Christi, another to honor a young Hispanic man in Houston, and lastly to honor the victims of Orlando's Pulse Nightclub shooting.
However, the garden is no longer located on the corner of California and Grant street. A park in the Montrose area has been proposed for a small commercial lot at 424 Westheimer, bearing the name Avondale Promenade Park. The request for this space has been approved and the Montrose Remembrance Garden as of 2017 will have a permanent home in the park. [13]