MILWAUKEE — City leaders and community members alike dressed in orange for those affected by gun violence. It’s the defining color of the national gun violence prevention movement.
June 2 was National Gun Violence Awareness Day, which kicked off a weekend of events raising awareness.
People came together for a Paint the City Orange Peace Walk Saturday. They walked in solidarity with the family of victims and survivors of gun violence across the state.
Along the route was a drive-through memorial, with signs of pictures of residents who have been shot and killed in Milwaukee.
"What I have learned is that it takes all of us to be part of the change that we want to see, It can't just be one city, one family, one neighborhood affected. It has to be all of us doing the work and calling for action,” Bridget Whitaker, the Director of Safe and Sound, said.
Before the walk, Moms Demand Action, Safe and Sound, WAVE Educational Fund, the Milwaukee Office of Violence Prevention, and the Brady United to End Gun Violence discussed solutions to gun violence.
The Mayor also signed a proclamation officially observing Wear Orange weekend. June is National Gun Violence Awareness Month.
Also on Saturday, WAVE(Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort) took their efforts to PrideFest. They advocated for an end to gun violence with petitions to ban assault weapons.
“We want to be here to educate for the need to end gun violence,” Kristina Paris, Office Manager at WAVE, said. “The population here is more affected by violence in our nation & the world.”
Throughout the event, many people stopped at the booth to sign petitions and learn about ways to get involved, including Kristina Cunningham.
“I have not been here since the Pulse Nightclub shooting seven years ago. I was here that day and haven’t been back since I’ve been terrified,” Cunningham explained.
She said she experienced gun violence growing up, and wanted to get involved so others don’t experience the same trauma she did.
“It does my heart good to see such a positive reaction to this booth. It’s going to save lives,” Cunningham said.
Another visitor at PrideFest, Helene O’Connor, saw the booth and wanted to help on the spot.
“I felt really helpless not being able to do anything, so seeing an organization that is doing something is something I want to be a part of,” O’Connor said.
In 2013, Hadiya Pendleton was murdered with a gun in Chicago. Her friends asked for her to be honored by wearing orange, and the action turned into National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
WAVE will be holding a gun violence prevention day of action in Madison in September. For more information, you canvisit their website.
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