Milwaukee gun violence prevention organizations take a stand
MILWAUKEE - As Milwaukee battles a violent year, the city's mayor and gun violence prevention leaders are taking a stand.
Mayor Tom Barrett, Moms Demand Action, and state leaders met Friday, June 4 to speak out against gun violence in our community.
"As of today, we have had 68 homicides in the city of Milwaukee this year. Last year on this date, we had 64," Barrett said.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett
The mayor was flanked by volunteers with Moms Demand Action and other gun violence prevention organizations – and called for the gun violence to end.
"Access to guns is clearly a part of this. Often times the recipe to this is drugs, anger and guns. And we know that is a deadly, deadly combination," Barrett said.
Milwaukee gun violence prevention organizations rally
Volunteers with the Milwaukee chapter of Moms Demand Action joined with other gun violence prevention organizations to honor the lives of those affected by gun violence and elevate gun violence prevention efforts nationwide. This, as part of Wear Orange Weekend.
The mayor was not only disturbed by the 329 non-fatal shootings in the city this year but also the number of young people getting their hands on guns.
"There’s something seriously wrong when we have a society where young children who legally are not able to access guns in that fashion have access to it," the mayor said.
Members of the group were wearing orange in honor of gun violence victims.
"We need to take measures to reduce gun violence in our state," said State Rep. Deb Andraca (D-Whitefish Bay).
State Representatives Andraca and Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa) are pushing for change on the state level.
"Elected officials need listen to their constituents," Vining said.
The mayor ended the meeting with a proclamation.
"Therefore, I Tom Barrett, mayor of the city of Milwaukee do hereby declare today Friday, June 4, 2021, to be National Gun Violence Awareness Day in the city of Milwaukee and I look forward to the day when we don’t have to do this," Barrett said.
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Wear Orange originated on June 2, 2015 – what would have been Hadiya Pendleton’s 18th birthday. It began with teenagers in Chicago, who wanted to honor their friend, Hadiya, after she was shot and killed. Wear Orange now honors Hadiya and the more than 100 Americans shot and killed every day, as well as the hundreds more who are wounded.