May 19 Summit County Council meeting
Covered by Documenter Killian Reed (see his notes here)
Summit County Council members at their May 19 meeting declared June 6 as Gun Violence Awareness Day throughout Summit County.
With the resolution, council intends “to honor and remember victims and survivors of gun violence, reaffirm the commitment to preventing gun violence, and [encourage] the residents of Summit County to join in this acknowledgment by wearing orange on that day.”
The idea of wearing orange stems from the 2013 shooting of Hadiya Pendleton in Chicago. Her family and friends wore orange as a way to honor her and bring awareness to the pervasiveness of gun violence.
Wear orange to promote gun safety
Organizers use the color orange because of its association with hunter safety and the importance of being clearly visible in the woods while hunting. The “Wear Orange” movement grew out of the efforts of the non-profit Everytown for Gun Safety, a group dedicated to gun control and the reduction of gun violence.
Officials intend to have Summit County join with hundreds of other communities across the U.S. that are recognizing June as Gun Violence Awareness Month and the weekend of June 6 through June 8 as “Wear Orange Weekend.”
Gun violence awareness panel Sunday
As part of the weekend, Akron-area organizers with Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, two groups affiliated with Everytown for Gun Safety, will host a panel at Temple Israel (91 Springside Drive, behind the Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Montrose) on Sunday, June 8, at 3:30 p.m. Learn more and sign up here.
The panel will focus on six local high school students who will share their experiences with gun violence in Akron. Following the panel, there will be a small group discussion with students from the panel, local leaders and gun violence prevention advocates.
The event also comes during the week of the first anniversary of a mass shooting in East Akron on June 2, 2024, where 28 people were injured and LaTeris Cook was killed.
