City Leaders, Activists and Celebrities Speak At Groundbreaking Ceremony For Permanent Monument To AIDS Victims

WEST HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA) - A groundbreaking ceremony in West Hollywood Park Saturday commemorated the 40 anniversary of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's first report of AIDS.

The event included speeches by city leaders, activists and celebrities.

"While we are here in our little neck of the woods creating this memorial," actress Sharon Stone said at the event, "this is a global moment. While we stood here fighting hand in hand, 44 million people died on our watch."

The new monument will be a fixture at West Hollywood Park and is scheduled to open in 2022.