‘You are not alone’: Mental health advocate celebrates 3 years no suicides at Uptown parking deck

CHARLOTTE — Each day, more than 140 people die by suicide in the United States, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Advocates and organizations across the country are working daily with the hopes of bringing that number down to zero. Here in Charlotte, Fonda Bryant is taking to parking decks, where she puts signs with numbers to resources and a message that says ‘You Are Not Alone’.

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Three years ago, a 16-year-old girl took her own life by jumping off the Green City Parking Deck on East 6th Street in Uptown Charlotte. Bryant said she knows the pain of those who contemplate taking their own lives feel; more than 25 years ago, she attempted to jump off of the same parking deck.

This tragedy inspired Bryant to start making her suicide prevention signs more visible throughout the deck and to begin calling on local and city leaders for change. Since replacing the signs, there have been no more attempts at the parking deck.

“When you are fighting it yourself, you feel like you are by yourself; you feel like no one understands, no one cares,” Bryant said. “I want people to realize they are not alone; you are not alone; there is help out here.”

Bryant plans to work with ten other parking decks to put up her signs; she hopes to add them to all city-owned decks in the future

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