(WWJ) Beginning at 8:30 a.m. Monday and continuing until 4 p.m., the 1,500 Detroit residents who died from COVID-19 will get a funeral procession on Belle Isle.
Nine hundred billboard-sized photos of loved-ones will be featured around the island as friends and family drive by. Along with the drive will be a soundtrack broadcasted by WRJC 90.9 FM in a partnership with the city that will play gospel, classical, and jazz music. Throughout the day, the broadcast will add profiles of some of the victims and offer messages of hope, the city said.
"This is how we begin the healing process," Mayor Mike Duggan in a statement.
The event will also be broadcast live on Facebook and WWJ will highlight moments. Tune in on air, a smart speaker or on any digital device HERE.
A total of 14 separate funeral processions will lead the way north on Chene, then east on Jefferson to Belle Isle before making a trip around the island. The service will begin at 8:45 a.m. after the mayor speaks, at which point residents, businesses, churches, and other groups will be asked to ring bells for 15 minutes.
After that, mourners will be invited onto the island for the drive. Participants will receive a large billboard photo of their loved ones as a gift after the event.
The entire procession will last until 4 p.m.
