Boston honors overdose victims with 22,000 purple flags [Video]

Boston is marking International Overdose Awareness Day with a poignant display of more than 22,000 purple flags on Boston Common, symbolizing lives lost to addiction in Massachusetts over the past decade.”It’s devastating. I’ve personally lost friends and family members to this,” said Pablo Roman, outreach coordinator at Room to Grow Recovery Support Center.Statistics from the state indicate that last year, more than 2,100 people in Massachusetts died from an overdose.A recent report by the Boston Public Health Commission reveals a nearly 41% increase in the drug overdose mortality rate for Boston from 2019 to 2023.The report shows an even greater impact in communities of color.”Definitely personal for me. I’m in recovery, and without these types of programs, I don’t know where I’d be right now, so I’m just trying to pay it forward,” said Efrain Reyes, engagement coordinator at Room to Grow Recovery Support Center.Reyes and Roman work with people …