Ridgewood Gun Violence Awareness Rally to be Held June 8 at 10 am

Ridgewood, NJ – In commemoration of National Gun Violence Awareness Day, Ridgewood Mayor Ramon Hache, Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter, Ridgewood JOLT, Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action, and members of Sandy Hook Promise invite residents to join a rally at Van Neste Square in Ridgewood, on Saturday, June 8 at 10 am. Participants are encouraged to wear orange, the favorite color of Hadiya Pendleton, a Chicago girl who was shot at age 15. Today orange signifies the fight for a future free from gun violence.

The statistics are harrowing. Gun deaths claim the lives of an average of 96 people, including seven children, each day in the United States.

“It’s infuriating to think about the Parkland shooting and how hard those students fought and how little progress has been made,” says Catherine Brienza, founder and president of JOLT USA, an organization dedicated to educating and empowering others to make a positive difference in the world. “The House passed a background check bill, but the Senate has done nothing. We may be getting desensitized. That is my fear. We want everyone to show up at this rally and show this is an issue that must be front and center of our consciousness.”

The mission of the rally is to come together to show that we are united in the goal of ending gun violence.