Bethel Declares Gun Violence Awareness Day June 5th, 2020

FIRST SELECTMAN MATT KNICKERBOCKER SIGNS PROCLAMATION DECLARING GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS DAY IN BETHEL, CT

IN HONOR OF EMILY TODD, BETHEL NATIVE AND IN REMEBERANCE OF ALL VICTIMS
AND SURVIVORS OF GUN VIOLENCE

FRIDAY JUNE 5th between 3 and 5 pm Jenn Lawlor, Everytown Survivor Fellow and Mother of Emily Todd will install a public artwork display outside Molten Java, 213 Greenwood Ave, Bethel, CT, honoring her daughter Emily Todd and all Victims and Survivors of Gun Violence.

“Wear Orange”: Campaign Inspired by Chicago Teens Working to Honor Lives of Gun Violence Survivors and Victims;

Due to Covid-19 – Virtual Events are Happening all around Connecticut and Across the Nation
Cities and Towns across CT Are Issuing Formal Proclamations
Designating Gun Violence Awareness Day(s)

The Bethel Proclamation Declares:
The first Friday in June is to be National Gun Violence Awareness Day in the Town of Bethel, Connecticut to honor and remember all victims and survivors of gun violence together with Jennifer Lawlor in memory of Emily Todd and to declare that we as a country must do more to reduce gun violence.

WHEREAS, every day, 100 Americans are killed by gun violence and on average there are nearly 13,000 gun homicides every year; and

WHEREAS, Americans are 25 times more likely to be killed with guns than people in other high-income countries; and

WHEREAS, protecting public safety in the communities they serve is First Selectmen’s highest responsibility; and

WHEREAS, support for the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens goes hand-in-hand with keeping guns away from people with dangerous histories; and

WHEREAS, First Selectmen and law enforcement officers know their communities best, are the most familiar with local criminal activity and how to address it, and are best positioned to understand how to keep their citizens safe; and

WHEREAS, in January 2013, Hadiya Pendleton, a teenager was tragically shot and killed; and

WHEREAS, to help honor Hadiya – and the 100 Americans whose lives are cut short and the countless survivors who are injured by shootings every day – a national coalition of organizations has designated June 5, 2020, the first Friday in June, as the 6th National Gun Violence Awareness Day; and

WHEREAS, the idea was inspired by a group of Hadiya’s friends, who asked their classmates to commemorate her life by wearing orange; they chose this color because hunters wear orange to announce themselves to other hunters when out in the woods; and

WHEREAS, anyone can join this campaign by pledging to Wear Orange on June 5th, the first Friday in June in 2020, to help raise awareness about gun violence; and by wearing orange on June 5-7, 2020 Americans will raise awareness about gun violence and honor the lives of gun violence victims and survivors; and

WHEREAS, we renew our commitment to reduce gun violence and pledge to do all we can to keep firearms out of the wrong hands, and encourage responsible gun ownership to help keep our children safe.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker of the Town of Bethel declares the first Friday in June, June 5, 2020, to be National Gun Violence Awareness Day. I encourage all citizens to support their local communities’ efforts to prevent the tragic effects of gun violence and to honor and value human lives.

History of National Gun Violence Awareness Day: The color orange has a long and proud history in the gun safety movement. Orange is the color that Hadiya Pendleton’s friends wore in her honor after she was shot and killed in Chicago at the age of 15 — just one week after performing at President Obama’s 2nd inaugural parade in 2013. Whether it’s worn by hunters in the woods of Pennsylvania, activists in New York City, or Hadiya’s loved ones in Chicago, orange honors the 100 lives cut short and the hundreds more wounded by gun violence every day —and demands action. Since the first National Gun Violence Awareness Day in 2015, hundreds of communities and organizations continue to commemorate that event by wearing orange, holding community events, lighting skylines orange, and issuing city and state proclamations. Federal, state and local elected leaders, such as President Obama; celebrities, like Julianne Moore, Halsey, Angela Bassett, and Lin-Manuel Miranda; hundreds of national corporate and nonprofit partners, such as Viacom, YMCA, Univision, Vogue, the National PTA, Connecticut Against Gun Violence, Mothers United Against Violence and Planned Parenthood; have joined hundreds of thousands of Americans nationwide to #WearOrange and call for an end to gun violence.

All Wear Orange Events https://act.everytown.org/event/wear-orange-2020/search/

Full facts on Wear Orange https://wearorange.org/