Overdose awareness march set for Aug. 31

Purple shirts will flood a stretch of 14th Street West during a march to shed light on International Drug Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31.

Starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Manatee County Courthouse, the group No Longer Silent will meet before their two-mile march starting at 7 p.m., which will lead south on 14th Street West, loop at 21st Avenue West and head back toward the courthouse, located at 1115 Manatee Ave. W.

A vigil with purple luminaries will be held at dark following the march, where attendees are invited to write on purple paper bags the names of those they lost to an overdose or messages in their memory.

Hundreds attended the event last year, where families shared stories about those they lost to drugs. More than 100 people expressed interest in this year’s event according to the event’s Facebook page, and organizers ask that attendees donate $1 for a luminary.

Manatee County is the center of Florida’s heroin epidemic, as there has been a spike in overdoses over the past few years. Lawmakers have asked for more reinforcements to combat the spike and the officials will hold a town hall addressing issues that have come up because of the epidemic.

This story was originally published August 24, 2016 at 1:52 PM with the headline "Overdose awareness march set for Aug. 31."