GREENFIELD — As part of a national day for gun violence awareness, there will be a gathering on the Greenfield Common on Friday at 4 p.m.
The demonstration will last about an hour, according to Stephanie Strand, an organizer in the Pioneer Valley chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, which is coordinating the Greenfield gathering. Attendees will be holding signs, and will be encouraged to share stories of how gun violence has affected their or their friends’ lives.
Along with demonstrators all over the country, Strand explained that people in Greenfield are asked to wear orange — the color that hunters wear in the woods to be easily visible to other hunters; and the favorite color of Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old girl who was shot and killed in Chicago one week after performing at President Barack Obama’s second inaugural parade in 2013.
Politically, what unifies the demonstrators around the country is that they support at least some increase in gun regulations, such as universal background checks, Strand said.
“Things like this are a way of coming together with like-minded people to see that we are the majority,” she explained.
Similar events are being organized all around the country on Friday by local groups, Strand said. Gun violence awareness groups have recognized the first Friday of June as National Gun Violence Awareness Day since Pendleton died in 2013.
Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-772-0261 ex 261.