March for Our Lives

March for Our Lives

More than 100 people came out on a hot Fresno day to protest recent gun violence incidents and call for legislation to reduce access to the weapons used in mass shootings. Chanting “not one more” the protestors walked on the sidewalk in front of River Park, a large shopping center in this city.

The Fresno march was one of more than 400 March for Our Lives events in the country. The rallies on June 11 were organized by March for Our Lives, an organization that emerged from the survivors of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., in 2018.

Nicole Webb, a pediatrician and organizer of the Fresno event, spoke as the crowd gathered. With her three children standing next to her, she said, “Gun violence is the No. 1 cause of death of American children. That is inexcusable and unconscionable.”

On June 22, the Supreme Court made a major expansion of gun rights, moving in the opposite direction of what these nationwide demonstrations were demanding. The ruling makes it dramatically easier to carry weapons in public.

On the day of this Supreme Court decision, according to Justice Stephen Breyer, “there have already been 277 reported mass shootings [this year]—an average of more than one per day.” He said the majority acted “without considering the potentially deadly consequences” of their actions.

On June 29, there was an organizing meeting held at St. James Episcopal Cathedral in Fresno to address the problem of mass shootings and gun violence. To find out what that group has planned, contact dean@stjamesfresno.org or 847-714-6975.

Author

  • Mike Rhodes is the executive director of the Community Alliance, was the editor of this newspaper from 1998 to 2014 and the author of several books. Contact him at mikerhodes@fresnoalliance.com.

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