Candlelight vigil for victims of the attack on the Venice Canal

Candles are available for anyone who would like to attend the memorial service.

By Zach Armstrong

On June 13 at 7:30 p.m., a candlelight vigil is scheduled to take place at the pedestrian bridge over the Sherman Canal for Sarah Alden, the woman who lost her life several weeks after an attack near the Venice Canals.

According to a GoFundMe post, Alden was agitated at the time of the attack because she had just signed a one-year lease in what the post described as “her favorite place in the United States”: Venice Beach. On April 6, Alden had planned to meet with friends the next morning to announce her impending move to LA. However, that meeting never happened. That night, around 10:30 p.m., she was brutally attacked by the canals. She suffered multiple brain injuries that led to a coma, the post said.

Late in the afternoon on Monday, May 20, Alden was pronounced brain dead.

“She loved east coast sunrises and west coast sunsets,” the GFM post said. “Sarah homeschooled her two sons, loved her animals, and had a keen eye for vintage jewelry, which she sold on roseark.com. At 53, Sarah wanted to start a new chapter in her journey; to forge a new path. Instead, her life was violently taken from her.”

Following the tragic death, Alden’s sons will donate their organs, according to the post. “They hope their mother’s love can live on through the gift of life to others. Her final chapter will help others to live on and continue her path. Tragically, her two sons – young men who need your support – now want to create a memorial and a future without their mother,” it says.

Of the GoFundMe goal of raising $150,000 (which will cover memorial, funeral and medical costs for the recently deceased victim), just under $52,000 has been raised at the time of this writing. The funds can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/memorial-for-victim-of-venice-beach-canals-attack.

Candles are available on the sidewalks surrounding the canals so that everyone can take part in the commemoration.