There are two sets of communities humans can choose to adapt:

A) Small - everybody knows everybody

B) Bigger (but better?) - nobody knows anybody

I'm just gonna skip to B. Your world revolves around the memory of a lost friend. Naturally you do what humans have always done, make a physical totem pole, a relikvie to remember said person.

This is wrong. You live in a dense populated area now. Pack your shit and leave. Your surroundings are sicken' tired of being remembered of their short lifes. It's in their bones. They'll never be in a Hollywood conglomerate, alas they might as well forget they are living in a cesspool of slavery rigged to feed anonymous owners. Your altar of pain isn't helping. All you do is break their routine. The routine. Media doesn't remember the death and tragedy from last year - why should you?

See and be seen - but do it in a non-significant way.

Rest In Pissory