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Tens of thousands who died in California state mental hospitals honored on remembrance day
The Metropolitan State Hospital campus.
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Courtesy Supervisor Hahn's office
)
Topline:
California Memorial Project Remembrance Day honors the tens of thousands of people who died in state mental hospitals, often held against their will. Many were buried in unmarked or mass graves.
Why it matters: For decades, California institutionalized people against their will at state mental hospitals. About 45,000 died there. Many were admitted for behaviors that today would be recognized as neurodivergence or autism.
Why now: Monday events for Remembrance Day took place at state hospitals in Norwalk in L.A. County and Patton, near San Bernardino.
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The backstory: The first remembrance took place in 2002 as officials went about documenting information about the people buried in mass or unmarked graves at the institutions. The goal was to replace anonymity with dignity.
What's next: Advocates and researchers say remembering those institutionalized today is just as important as remembering those in the past.
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This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
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