Highland Park Wears Orange For Gun Violence Prevention

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Highland Park has been honoring lives lost in gun violence by turning the town orange this week. As part of the Wear Orange campaign, the city has been marking the lead up to the 4th annual National Gun Violence Awareness day with City Hall and the Highland Park Public Library illuminated by orange lights for the week leading up to Saturday's nationwide event.

The Wear Orange campaign began after the 2013 murder of Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old Chicago girl who was shot and killed a week after performing in President Obama's second inaugural parade.

Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering issued an official proclamation of the day at the Highland Park City Council and invited the public to attend an event Saturday to commemorate those whose lives have been cut short by gun violence. Survivors of gun violence and those seeking to reduce it will gather at Hadiya Pendleton Park, 4345 S. Calumet Ave. in Chicago at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 2.

"Everybody from the Chicago area is invited to participate and we know all too well the drastic impact that gun violence has had our neighborhoods and in our streets, in the city in particular. But it's not just in the city, it's throughout the state, it's throughout the country," Rotering said Tuesday.

"We don't think about it, but it's crazy, it doesn't make sense. My catch phrase is, 'How many of our children do we need to sacrifice in the name of liberty?' because this has to stop."

"We choose to Wear Orange on June 2, Hadiya's birthday, because we want to share the joy and light that Hadiya brought into our lives with you and with everyone in this movement," said Hadiya's parents, Nate and Cleo Pendleton.

Orange was selected as the color of the movement because it's worn by hunters to avoid getting shot.

"Five years ago, a group of friends and I came together to create Project Orange Tree to honor our dear friend Hadiya and the countless others who have been affected by gun violence," said Nza-Ari Khepra, founder of Project Orange Tree and co-creator of Wear Orange, in a release. "Since then, it has truly been an honor to watch this movement continually grow and touch every corner of our country with events and landmark lightings. This year, Wear Orange reminds us that we are an unstoppable force that is well on it's way to creating an America that will be free of gun violence."

A rally is also planned for Evanston at 10 a.m. Saturday. An event will be held at Deerfield next week, when Mayor Harriet Rosenthal will sign a National Gun Violence Day proclamation and attendees will speak about the Wear Orange movement at 7:30 p.m. on June 4 at Village Hall.