Evanston residents will mark National Gun Violence Awareness day on Thursday, June 2 with a gathering at Fountain Square from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Speakers will include:
Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl; Seventh ward Alderman Eleanor Revelle; Royce Pryor and Carolyn Murray, Evanston mothers who lost their children to gun violence; Camille Allen, recent ETHS graduate; Denyse Stoneback, founder of Skokie-based People for a Safer Society; and Songs by Camille Allen, Caro Granner and Eliza Segal, ETHS graduates All attendees are asked to wear something orange to the event.
Mayor Tisdahl proclaimed June 2 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day in Evanston at a City Council meeting in May. The day was established in 2015 by the national organization Everytown for Gun Safety, which asked people to wear orange that day to honor 'the 88 Americans whose lives are cut short by gun violence every day and the countless survivors whose lives are forever altered by shootings each year.'
The inspiration for the idea came from classmates of Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old high school student who was fatally shot in Chicago in January 2015 by a known gang member, who targeted a random crowd in Harsh Park after a rival gang killed one of his peers.
Everytown for Gun Safety chose orange to mark the day. Originating in hunting culture, orange acknowledges America's heritage of responsible gun ownership. But orange also reflects the value of human life. When hunting in the woods, it's expected you'll take aim at a deer or bird'but you're also obligated to take care with your life and the lives of fellow hunters. By wearing orange on June 2, Americans pledge to:
Honor the lives ' and lost human potential ' of Americans stolen by gun violence; Do all we can to keep firearms out of the wrong hands; and Be responsible gun owners and keep our children safe. The event is co-sponsored by Dear Evanston, a social media campaign to discuss and work to reduce youth violence in Evanston; Citizens' Greener Evanston, working to make Evanston sustainable and livable for everyone; and People for a Safer Society, educating people on gun violence and facilitating simple actions that can make a difference on the local, state, and federal levels, pushing for common sense gun laws and raising awareness about gun violence.
