Stamford March For Our Lives Rally Scheduled For June 11

STAMFORD, CT — Following a string of mass shootings around the country, gun violence survivors, local youth, advocates and the community will gather in Mill River Park in downtown Stamford to demand an end to gun violence on Saturday.

A March For Our Lives rally will begin at 11 a.m. Speakers will share thoughts on the absence of federal gun violence prevention measures and rampant gun culture that plagues communities nationwide. Attendees are urged to participate in a peaceful demonstration, and enter the park from Broad Street and Washington Boulevard.

There will also be a march in Washington, D.C., and in more than 300 local communities across the country on Saturday.

March For Our Lives was founded by high school students from Parkland, Fla. following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.

Event co-organizer, gun violence prevention advocate and survivor, and Stamford native Wil Joseph, is the director of Million Dollar Smile and Young Athletes 4 Change, whose programs engage kids and young adults in basketball and other extracurricular sports and activities. Joseph lost his brother Max Antoine to gun violence five years ago.

"We must love each other, not destroy each other. Only way we can make change in our communities to end gun violence is to create programs that would keep our youth creatively active and in a safe environment," Joseph said in a news release.

Shira Tarantino, event co-organizer and co-founder of The ENOUGH Campaign, a Stamford-based civic action group formed in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, said Joseph called her after the Buffalo supermarket shooting several weeks ago and said something had to be done.

"We talked about how kids are scared, and they need to be listened to. We want to give them a chance to tell their stories, to amplify their message, and deliver it to those who need to hear it," Tarantino said in a news release.

"We are at a deadly impasse in the United States between those who want progress on ending gun violence and those who cling to tonedeaf beliefs rooted in racism, misogyny and homophobia. Watching the Senate continually stall on meaningful measures to end the carnage is forcing us to watch our children die violently before our very eyes. But for what?" Tarantino added. "To hold on to ‘freedoms’ only accessible to some? To insulate the privileged and hoard opportunity? To protect guns more than children? There are zero excuses for promoting the killing of our next generation. This is why the youth of America will rise up and take a stand against gun violence, the NRA, and the primitive lawmakers whose inaction only protects themselves."

Robin Druckman, rally co-organizer, Moms Demand Action leader and Chair of the Stamford Democratic City Committee, spoke about the importance of elections.

"Every election matters and this year, we need to get out the vote for candidates up-and-down the ticket who support gun safety legislation," she said in a news release. "We want to empower and equip voters of all ages and new voters with the information they need to talk to their family and friends about these important issues. Your vote is your voice and our democracy is stronger when we all participate."

There will be voter registration at the event, in addition to opportunities to write letters to elected officials and to voters, organizers said.

All are welcome to attend. The event will take place rain or shine.

RSVP to Saturday's rally in Stamford.